We’re continuing our countdown to our 2nd International FIlm Festival with a deeper dive into Sheep Hero. It will be played during our Saturday, November 16, 2019 4:00 PM. Now let’s look at a personal essay that Ton van Zantvoort submitted to us about making his film.
This film’s story is a story about a traditional shepherd being forced to conform and abandon his ideals due to a neoliberal world he lives in. The director, Ton van Zantvoort, takes us through a journey that begins with a relaxed, cheerful and passionate shepherd who eventually takes a turn for the worse. He becomes bitter, short-tempered, and stressed to the point of losing his hair.
But why? Was herding sheep not supposed to be the most relaxed and romantic profession in the world?
The director can relate to the shepherds anguish with the trying to live in a world at odds, which is what makes the feelings in this film more apparent. Do you follow your passion and keep your ideals? Or do you conform and follow the herd?
As a filmmaker, Van Zantvoot tried to base his films one small issues that are the gateway to talking about much large problems of the world. He strives to remove the “blindfold” on people and show the reality of the world where people can strive for their ideals without repercussions.
Director Biography – Ton van Zantvoort
Ton van Zantvoort is an acclaimed Dutch director, whose films have screened at numerous prestigious A- film festivals, such as IDFA. His work has been broadcast all over the world (ARTE/ZDF, Al Jazeera) and he has won a dozen awards, as on DOKLeipzig.
Ton van Zantvoort observes with great attention and takes us into the worlds of people on the edge, people who try to survive but are confronted by external forces such as tourism, international commerce and mass consumption. With great humanity, van Zantvoort shows us a different world in which all human life is valuable. His films are characterized by a language of intimate images, a poetic structure and enormous involvement. In his lyrical documentaries with socio-economic overtones he usually resists the temptation of doing interviews. His work is original and testifies to a great effort of will by the maker. The vision of a Western civilized person who holds up a mirror to us. A confronting mirror, but one that invites you to take a long good look.
