SHEEP HERO

The Netherlands, 2018, 81’
Director and Writer: Ton van Zantvoort
Cinematographer: Ton van Zantvoort
Producers: Ton van Zantvoort, Marc Thelosen, Koert Davidse
Editor: Ton van Zantvoort
Music: Roy Bemelmans
Sound: Iris van de Rijt, Olivier Nijs, Annerose Langeveld
Production Company: NEWTON Film/ seriousFILM

About 10 years ago, filmmaker Ton van Zantvoort got to know Stijn, an idealist with a cheerful, relaxed nature. Stijn is one of the last remaining Dutch shepherds working in the traditional way. We see the shepherd, his sheep, and his three loyal dogs crisscrossing nature reserves and farmlands so the herd can graze the land in an eco-friendly way. But nowadays, little remains of the romance and peace that we associate with the centuries-old tradition of sheepherding. Tenders are increasingly hard to acquire—competition from big companies, cheap East European shepherds, and smart machinery make Stijn the expensive choice.

With the camera in his wake, the shepherd roams across picturesque Dutch landscapes, talking passionately about his inventive approaches to preserving his traditional occupation. But even as he tries so hard to keep his company afloat, the same camera captures how the incessant stress transforms him into an embittered man with a quick temper. Tragicomic conflicts alternate with scenes of beautiful nature and Stijn’s pleasantly chaotic family life.

AWARDS

Best Cinematography Award, Woods Hole film festival, USA, 2020; Best Documentary Feature, Alternative Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, 2020; Best Cinematography Award, Indie Film Awards, Tokyo, Japan, 2020; NL Award Best Documentary of the year, NL Media event RPO, Hilversum, The Netherlands, 2020; Best Director Torino Underground Cinefest (7th), Italy, 2020; Most Original Story Honorable mention, Florence Film Awards, Italy, 2020; Special Jury Award, Cinema Vérité, Tehran, Iran, 2019; Best International Documentary Award, FICMA, Mexico City, Mexico, 2019; Best International Documentary Award and Audience award, Nederland International Film Festival, Colorado, USA, 2019, 2nd Best International Feature film, Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival, Sassari, Italy, 2019; Honourable mention, Cine Eco Seia, Portugal, 2019; Award of Excellence: Film Feature, Accolade Global Film Competition, California, USA, 2019; Best Documentary Film, NYCA New York Cinematography Awards, USA, 2019; Honourable mention, Festiver Barichara Green Film Festival, Santander, Colombia, 2019; Green Warsaw Award, Millennium Docs Against Gravity, Warsaw, Poland, 2019; Best European Cinematography award, European Cinematography Awards/ ECA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2019;  La Trois Distribution award, Millennium Documentary Festival, Brussels, Belgium, 2019; Best Film and Best Director, NVIFF New Vision International Film Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2019.

TON VAN ZANTVOORT

Born in 1979, Ton van Zantvoort is an acclaimed Dutch director, cinematographer, producer, and editor, whose films have been screened at numerous prestigious A- film festivals. His work has been broadcast all over the world (VPRO, ARTE/ZDF, Al Jazeera) and he has won a dozen awards for best director, best cinematographer, and best editor. He graduated with credits at the Academy for Visual Arts in Breda in 2003. In 2006, his debut film Grito de Piedra premiered at IDFA and was broadcast by ARTE/ZDF and other stations. His second feature A Blooming Business, a co-production with the Dutch VPRO, was screened at a hundred international film festivals, broadcasted worldwide, and won a dozen awards, such as at DOK Leipzig. In 2016 his controversial documentary, The Benno Tapes, won a Golden NL Award. As with his acclaimed movie Sheep Hero (2018), he was not only responsible for (co-) production and directing for all these above-mentioned films, but Ton van Zantvoort also did the cinematography, editing, grading, artwork, and more. In addition to producing his own documentary films, van Zantvoort has also produced documentaries for other directors.

Filmography

Grito de Piedra (2006), A Blooming Business (2009), Kees en Mien (2011), The Benno Tapes (2015), Sheep Hero (2018).