FRIDAY 21 NOV – H 18:00 – ROOM 3

THE PUPIL – De Pupil
THE NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM – 2025 – color – 105’

Direction: Karin Junger
Screenplay: Karin Junger
Cinematography: Martijn van Broekhuizen
Editing: David Verdurme
Production design: Ben Zuydwijk
Music: Frederik Van de Moortel
Cast: Bart de Wilde (Daan), Gijs Naber (Ries), Hadewych Minis (Ella), Marcel Hensema (Wim),Joost Meuwsen (Ruben)
Producers: Ineke Kanters, Lisette Kelder in coproduction with Maarten D’Hollander, TimMartens, Xavier Rombaut, Robert Kievit
Production: The Film Kitchen (Nl) in coproduction with Krater Films (Be), Polar Bear (Be), BNNVARA (Nl)
World Sales: Pluto Film Distribution

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Daan admires his football coach Ries (45), who gradually becomes a significant influence in his life and slowly manipulates him into a web of abuse. Daan’s behaviour begins to spiral out of control – he skips school, gets into fights, and distances himself from family and friends. Inside Daan’s turbulent emotional world, validation and special attention gradually intertwine with shame and secrecy, which in many ways echoes the psychological sharpness of adolescence.

the director: KARIN JUNGER
Karin Junger started out her career as a documentary filmmaker with the prestigious Joris Ivens Award at IDFA for her film Birthplace Unknown (1988). Karin went on to make multiple documentaries, many of them for Dutch broadcasters, and fiction films. Her short film Great! (2003) won the Silver Bear at Berlinale. Her first feature Bolletjes blues!(2006) was shown at New York Film Festival, Netherlands FF and Cairo FF. Her latest fiction film10 Songs for Charity(2021) had it’s world premiere at Giffoni FF. Her work has a strong sense of urgency and social commitment and inventiveness in style and themes. Her latest documentary, FreeSpace, released in 2024 on broadcaster NTR (Uur van de Wolf), is about cancel culture in the arts. The Pupilis her third feature film.

director’s statement
“My goal was to create an honest and poignant movie about the emotional and social complexities of child sexual abuse. I wanted to capture the process of Daan during and after the abuse, showing his internal struggle but also the often misguided or insufficient reactions of those around him: his parents, the members of the football club and his friends at school. This makesThe Pupil not just the story of an individual tragedy but also an illustration of how communities often fail to respond effectively to the needs of those affected by abuse. During the abuse Daan is torn apart. He longs for the attention and affection of his coach and hero but at the same time fully realizes that the way their relation evolves is wrong. This awareness drives him to lie, hide, keep silent and as aresult becomes increasingly lonely and estranged from family and friends. It is clear that the macho environment of the football club doesn’t encourage pupils to confess or address this difficult issue. Once the abuse is exposed Daan finds himself further isolated and stigmatized. We see the tragic paradox of how the revelation, which should be liberating, instead leads to deeper suffering, especially when the reactions from family and society are marked by confusion, fear, and shame. Still, there is hope, as there is love from family and friends who stand by him and can help him to heal.”

filmography
1988 Birthplace Unknown (doc.)
1991 Mixed Feelings (doc.)
1992 Act of Love (doc.)
1993 Amadeu, Amadeu! (doc.)
1997 In alle stilte (doc.)
2000 God Is My Co-pilot (doc.)
2000 Chickies, Babies & Wannabees (doc.)
2003 Vet! (Great!, short)
2005 De prijs van katoen (doc.)
2006 Bolletjes blues!( Gangsta Blues)
2014 Sexy Money (doc.)
2021 10 Songs for Charity
2025 De pupil (The Pupil)

festivals
2025 Tallin Black Nights IFF