Alicia

A film by

the Netherlands | 90' | 11/2017 | documentary

Alicia is one year old when she is removed from her home. Via a foster family she is placed into a children’s care home when she is five. By the time she is nine, she is still there, awaiting placement with a new family. This is when the documentary ALICIA starts.
For three years the film follows the girl in her daily life in close-cropped, observing images. These make the desires and powerlessness of the young, homeless Alicia, as well as the impact of a lack of perspective, palpable.
Will the girl derail because of the hopelessness of her situation or are we witness to an inescapable history that repeats itself?
Maasja Ooms directed, filmed and edited ALICA to make a poignant film about a universal theme: our need for love.

Square Eyes - IDFA2017
Square Eyes - IDFA2017

Maasja Ooms

Biography

Maasja Ooms has completed the Photo Academy and the Film Academy in the early nineties. After having worked as a cinematographer for about 15 years, she has developed herself into an editor. At first she worked on documentaries she had filmed herself, later on she also edited other films and worked as an edit coach. Because of her strong involvement as a cinematographer with respect to content, the films became a collaborative effort, in co direction.

In 2013 Maasja started an extensive research, focussing on observations about the behaviour between people. This led to the production of two films, which Maasja directed, filmed and edited. Tussen Mensen (55’, VPRO, 2015) and ALICIA (90’, VPRO, 2017, IDFA Dutch competition).

Filmography

  • Punks – 2019 – feature length documentary
  • Alicia –  2017 – feature length documentary
  • Tussen Mensen – 2015 – mid length documentary
Square Eyes - Director - Maasja Ooms - Square Eyes

Crew

Director: Maasja Ooms
Producer: Cerutti Film: Willemijn Cerutti
Cinematographer: Maasja Ooms
Sound: Maasja Ooms
Editor: Maasja Ooms

Festivals

  • International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the Netherlands (15 – 26 November, 2017)
    IDFA Competition For Dutch Documentary Won: IDFA Special Jury Award for Dutch Documentary
  • One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic (5 – 14 March, 2018)
    International Competition
  • Millenium International Documentary Film Festival, Belgium (20 – 30 March, 2018)
    International Competition
  • DOKer – Moscow International Documentary Film Festival, Russia (12 – 17 April, 2018)
    Main Feature Competition Won: Best Feature Film
  • San Sebastian Human Rights Film Festival, Spain (20 – 27 April, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • EDOC – International Documentary Film Festival, Ecuador (9 – 20 May, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, Poland (11 – 20 May, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • Gdansk DocFilm Festival, Poland (6 – 10 June, 2018)
    Main Competition Won: Best Film
  • Biografilm Festival – International Celebration of Lives, Italy (8 – 18 June, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • DOCUMENTARIST Istanbul Documentary Days, Turkey (9 – 14 June, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • Nederlands Film Festival, Netherlands (27 September – 5 October, 2018)
    Gouden Kalf Competition Nomination for best Feature Length Documentary
  • Human Rights Film Festival Lugano, Switzerland (9 – 14 October, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • iDOCS International Documentary Film Festival, China (11 – 16 November, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • Film Festival Diritti Umani Lugano, Switzerland (9 – 14 October, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • VerzioInternational Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Hungary (6 – 11 November, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • DOC NYC, United States (8 – 15 November, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • this human world – International Human Rights Film Festival, Austria (29 November – 10 December, 2018)
    Competition program
  • “Cinema Verite” Iran International Documentary Film Festival, Iran (9 – 16 December, 2018)
    Competition Won: Jury Special Award
  • Cairo International Womens Film Festival – Caravan “Between Women Filmmakers”, Lebanon (11 – 15 April, 2019)
    Official Selection
  • FIDBA – Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival, Argentina (2 – 11 September, 2019)
    Official Selection

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