Photo courtesy of the artists

1:00pm – 2:30pm
Mijke de Jong – Stop Acting Now [Wunderbaum] (The Netherlands, 2016)
82 minutes |  Elebash Recital Hall (180 seats)
www.thenewforest.nl

The Rotterdam Actors group, Wunderbaum, will stop acting and will switch over to REAL action. We will follow the actors’ frantic efforts to radically change the world. The actors, who have created socially orientated theatre for years, will set up various world-improving projects in ‘real’ life. The differences in approach, vision, and effectiveness are putting the group under considerable pressure. The central issue is the extent of our personal
engagement for the common cause.

Wunderbaum is a Dutch-Flemish actors’ group that makes new theatre about current issues. In 2013, Wunderbaum started building The New Forest: a four-year project involving numerous partners, volunteers and spectators. It consists of theatre performances, seminars, a film project, context programmes and online content.

Photo courtesy of the artist

For almost twenty years, the films by Mijke de Jong have shown great social involvement, from her first feature film Love Hurts (1992; Toronto International Film Festival – Special Jury Award Locarno) to Layla M. De Jong’s international breakthrough came with Bluebird for which she won a number of awards. Stages (Special Mention Locarno) and Katia’s Sister (2008; official Berlinale, Toronto and Locarno selections) followed. Award winning feature film Joy (2010) was shown around the world and got the Best Feature Film Award in The Netherlands. Feature film Frailer (2014) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Last year she worked together with Wunderbaum on the film Stop Acting Now, which will premiere during the 2016 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.