katia's sister
By Mijke de Jong
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
Locarno Film Festival (Competition), Toronto Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival (Award for Best Actress to Olga Louzgina), Sguardi Altrove Int. Women’s FF, Women with Vision FF Minneapolis
SYNOPSIS
Some people find her removed from reality. Her older sister Katia even thinks she’s stupid.
But this is only a first impression, perhaps the result of her subconscious desire to remain a child.
Having emigrated from Russia some years previously, her mother tries to build up a life in Amsterdam and is drawn into the world of prostitution. Slowly, the oldest daughter Katia follows her mother into this obscure world.
Our heroine, Katia’s Sister, adores her older beautiful sister Katia, but she is getting more and more lonely, having nobody to share her feelings with. Although her surroundings are harsh, she does not judge.
She continues to see the world in an unconditional and even loving manner.
Yet she becomes increasingly isolated, creating her own protective universe in which she sacrifices a lot, even her own name, referring to herself only as “Katia’s Sister.”
DIRECTOR´S BIOGRAPHY
The interest of Mijke de Jong (born 1959 in Rotterdam) in social issues is an important theme in her films and her subtle directing of the actors characterizes her films. In LOVE HURTS (aka HARTVERSCHEUREND, 1993), which received the Golden Leopard Jury Award at the Locarno Filmfestival and the Dutch Filmcritics Award, we see a couple struggling with their relationship but also with their social engagement and the ‘yuppification’ of society. Her film BLUEBIRD (2004) about a twelve year old girl that falls victim to bullying, received the Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Her last film STAGES (aka TUSSENSTAND, 2007) received the Special Mention-Filmmakers of the Present 2007 at the Locarno Film Festival. At the Dutch Film Festival it received three Golden Calfs, for Best Director, Best Actress and Best Sound and the Dutch Critics Award.
DIRECTOR´S STATEMENT
I got the novel KATIA'S SISTER for my birthday from a good friend. Jan and Jolein Laarman came up with a wonderful script. They stayed very close to the main character, so you cannot and will not stop loving her, however harsh and violent the world around her seems. Katia's sister lives in her own world. She's the "rose growing in the garbage". I could make films about girls of thirteen all my life, too old for dolls, too young for love, too young for mature men. By taking Katia's sister's hand, I could talk about the things that really matter: loneliness, anxiety, love.
CAST
Sister (Lucia): Betty Qizmolli
Katia: Julia Seykens
Mother: Olga Louzgina
Edwin: Rogier Schippers
Giac: Chico Kenzari
Grandmother: Tatiana Sharkova
John Turner: Ian Bok
CREW
Director: Mijke de Jong
Cinematography: Ton Peters
Script: Jan Eilander, Jolein Laarman
Music: Leo Anemaet
Costumes: Monica Petit
Set Design: Jolein Laarman, Fleur Ankone
Sound: Joost Roskam
Editing: Dorith Vinken
Production: Keyman Film
Producer: Hans De Wolf
Coproduction: NPS Television
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
KATIA’S SISTER (Het Zusje Van Katia) / The Netherlands 2008 / 85min / 35mm / 1:1.85 / Color / Dolby SRD / Original Language: Dutch and Russian with English Subtitles /The Netherlands 2009
