What conversation do you hope this film starts between strangers?  

Although witch hunts are a thing of the past, Barlebas is reflective of the present: misogyny is still very much alive and is even on the rise among young men, fueled by social media. The term “witch” is still used to dismiss strong and outspoken women, as for example Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders did, with top diplomat and Former Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag. I hope that the film will spark a discussion about the position of women in our current society and the women's rights that are now under pressure again worldwide.

 

What’s one thing you learned while making this film?

While making this film, I learned (once again) how important it is for me to work with people that really become allies in making the film. As a writer/director working on a film from conception until distribution, I can sometimes find the process quite lonely, but when you have people join in at different stages who are internally motivated and just as passionate about the project, it makes everything more enjoyable and better.

 

Has an audience reaction ever changed how you interpret your own films?

I really enjoy the reactions from viewers. It's especially nice that people can sometimes surprise you by describing things so much more sharply than you yourself were able to during the process. For example, someone wrote a Letterboxd review with the text: A woman accused of being a witch proves to have power without witchery. When I read that, I thought, yes, that's exactly it. And what a great line that would have been to pitch the film at the very beginning of the process. Because at the beginning, I always find it so difficult to pinpoint exactly what I'm making. But I guess that's the magic of the journey you take while making a film and seeing it resonate with an audience. 

 

Was there a moment when you thought the film might fall apart — and how did you pull through?

There were several moments... It was really challenging to make a credible period film on a limited budget. Finding a suitable location was difficult and expensive, which meant the shooting period had to be postponed at first. On one of the shooting days at that expensive location, filming was on hold for a few hours, which meant I couldn't film a number of scenes. In the early editing phase (which is when all your film dreams come crashing down anyway), I therefore resorted to a very improvised style of shooting additional footage with just the cameraman Sam du Pon. In the end, everything came together, but it cost me many nights’ sleep.

 

If you could spotlight one unsung hero from your team, who would it be and why?

First and foremost, the special collaboration with singer Pitou made the musical form of the film as I imagined it, possible. I am so glad she crossed my path, and once I met her, I could no longer imagine my script and the character of Heylken without her. But I would also like to spotlight Gedeon Depauw, who was responsible for the sound recording, sound design and mix. He subtly builds rhythm and melody from the environmental sounds, from which the music in the film gradually grows. It was important to me that the singing would arise naturally from the film-world and that the characters would not suddenly burst into song ‘out of nowhere’. The interaction between sound design and music gives the singing something grounded.