Lost on Arrival, 2020, short film/documentary, 8’00”.
In this film a man, after retiring, wants to return to the Caribbean island where he once lived. However, advancing dementia ruins his idyllic plans. He moves there but never really arrives.
This heartbreaking drama is portrayed using extremely minimalist means. Except for the opening scene, all we see is the view from a tropical veranda. We hear the man having telephone conversations with his son, in which he gradually acknowledges that he is losing his grip on reality. Even more telling is the silence during the son’s inaudible answers, his words helplessly dissolving into endless repetition.
Read here an interview with Ivar van Bekkum on SeeNL.
Screenings
• Lost on Arrival had its world premiere at Idfa 2020 in the Competition Short Documentaries, Netherlands.
• Berlinale Forum Expanded, March/June 2021, Germany
• June 15 21:15, 2021, Amsterdam Eye on Art program at Eye Filmmuseum
• One of the opening films and part of the “Guest Country: Dutch Experimental” program of the 2021 38th Busan International Short Film Festival, South Korea
• Reykjavik International Film Festival 30 September -10 October 2021, Iceland
• Braunschweig Film Festival, 1-7 November 2021, Germany
• dokumentART, 24 November 2021, Germany
• Bogoshorts, 7-14 December 2021, Colombia
• 16th International Short and Independent Film Festival, Dhaka 2021 25 Feb-5 March 2022, Bangladesh
• Intermediaciones, video art, and experimental video exhibition, September 12 to 15, 2023
• IDFA Documentary Pavilion, 2024, NL
• Lab 111 Amsterdam Festival Time, 2024 NL
A film by
PolakVanBekkum
With
Jan van Bekkum (1943-2001)
Ivar van Bekkum
Island 1
Saint Martin
Island 2
Curaçao
Directors
Ivar van Bekkum
Esther Polak
Sound
Arno Peeters
subtitling English
Siji Jabbar
subtitling Papiamentu/Spanish
Nathifa Martina
kindly supported by
thanks to
Instituto Buena Bista Curaçao
worldwide distribution by
LIMA
distribution and promotion by
EYE Experimental
Special thanks to
Carole and Candide van Bekkum
Lex ter Braak
Joost Daamen
Nicole Dudok van Heel
and Jedithja de Groot
Bernet Elzinga
Henk Ester
Roderick Evans-Knaup
Arjen Fortuin and Mare Faber
Quinsy Gario
Tosca Geneste
and Ron Wessels
Norrece T. Jones
and Betty Session
Hicham Khalidi
Peter Lievense
Karin Nab
Jun Plas and Nine Parre
Lizet Spijker
Ingrid van Tol
Tido Visser
Annet Zondervan