Surinamese filmmaker Ida Does’s documentary Peace, memories of Anton de Kom won the award for best short film at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival this year.
In a release, Does said she was “very happy” that with this film, “the story of Anton de Kom will create a broader awareness”.
In the documentary, Does chose to let de Koms’ children— Ad, Cees and Judith De Kom, all in their eighties – tell the story of his life.
Anton de Kom (1898—‐1945) is well known for his groundbreaking book, We Slaves of Suriname and for his anti-colonial activities in Suriname.
“In my films I am looking for the human face and the emotion,” Does said. “This historic family story is both full of heroism and tragedy. The award I also see as a tribute to the memory of this unique and brave man.”
Does and her film crew filmed the site in Germany, where de Kom eventually died as a Nazi prisoner. The award for ‘Best Short Film 2012’ was awarded by an international jury, consisting of Manoj Barpujari (film critic and journalist from India), Gabrielle
Hezekiah (writer and lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad) and Christian Sida-Valenzuela (Director of the
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival).
The jury called the documentary “a touching portrait of the Surinamese writer and anti—‐colonial activist”, the release said.
Does previously received an honourable mention at the Film Festival in Port of Spain for her documentary film Mi a no Mi—‐Trefossa (2009).
At the Africa in the Picture Film Festival in Amsterdam she won the audience award.
The director, born in Paramaribo, is currently working on a documentary about the poet and Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott (Saint Lucia). The annual Film Festival in Port of Spain, held on September 30, experienced its biggest edition this year with over 120 films. This is one of the largest film festivals in the Caribbean.
Does is an independent documentary filmmaker and producer and lives both in Holland and Aruba.
