Father and Daughter

United Kingdom, The Netherlands2000animated9'Retrospektywa Michaela Dudoka de Wita (2023)

A bike leaning against a tree, the memory of the last hug and the image of a boat sailing into the expanse of a lake are everything that a little girl remembers about her father, who he disappeared without a trace one day. The daughter decides to keep returning to the lake over days, months and years hoping to hug her father again one day. In this poignant and melancholy story about longing and the passing of time the character’s coming off age is measured by changing nature. The simple and subtle manner of discussing the most difficult matters as well as visual and musical mastery brought the director the Academy Award.

directed by: Michael Dudok de Wit
Michael Dudok de Wit (1953) was born and received education in the Netherlands. He went to university in Geneva, Barcelona and Farnham in the UK, where he directed his first film, ‘The Interview’. Since 1980 he has lived in London. He has directed and animated many award-winning productions for the commercial sector and television. In 1992 he created the short film ‘Tom Sweep’ followed by an Oscar-nominee and César Award winner, ‘The Monk and the Fish’. His most famous short film ‘Father and Daughter’ was honoured with a Grand Prix in Annecy, the Academy Award, BAFTA, a Grand Prix of Animafest in Zagreb and many other distinctions. It was also screened and awarded at the Krakow Film Festival. In 2006 de Wit directed ‘The Aroma of Tea’, a short film made using exclusively tea. His most recent work is ‘The Red Turtle’, a feature film coproduced by world-famous Studio Ghibli from Japan. It was nominated to the Academy Awards (2017) and won Un Certain Regard, a special award of Cannes festival, among many other honours. Additionally, Michael Dudok de Wit illustrates books and teaches master classes on animation, creativity and related topics at artistic schools and universities in the UK and abroad.
script: Michael Dudok de Wit
animated by: Michael Dudok de Wit, Arjan Wilschut
music: Normand Roger, Denis Chartrand
sound: Jean-Baptiste Roger
production: Claire Jennings (Cloudrunner Ltd.), Willem Thijssen (Cinété Filmproductie BV)
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