All Films

Regret (Spijt!)

Hilal - ages 13+

Synopsis

In Competition

Life seems peaceful and normal in a Dutch school, but in its corridors, beneath a façade of respectability, something terribly wrong is going on. “Hell is other people” says the French teacher, quoting Jean-Paul Sartre – and for Jochem, a lonely overweight student, school is really a living hell, as he is constantly bullied by some of his peers. Although the abuse is getting out of control, nobody around him seems to care – even the gym teacher is too busy maintaining his popularity to take notice. Only fellow students David and Vera show Joachem any empathy, but by the time they take a stand, things have already gone too far. How much abuse can one young man take before he decides he’s had enough?

Based on a popular book by celebrated Dutch author Carry Slee, ‘Regret’ sharply and sensitively addresses the scourge of school bullying – unfortunately a timely and relevant topic – and ultimately encourages people to speak up and take action before it’s too late.

The film was a major box-office success in the Netherlands (it won both the Golden and Platinum awards for its impressive admission results), and won the Golden Gryphon Award at the Giffoni Film Festival.

Official Film Website

About the Directors

After graduating from the Netherlands Film Academy in 1981, Dave Schram worked in the film industry in many capacities. In 1987 he, Maria Peters and Hans Pos joined forces and started the Shooting Star Filmcompany. Schram returned to directing in 2007 with Shooting Star’s adaptation of Carry Slee’s novel ‘Timboektoe’. Since then, he has directed four more feature films, and received a Rembrandt Award for ‘Razend’ (2011). He produced Peters’s: ‘Sonny Boy’ (2011) and ‘Mike Says Goodbye!’ (2012), which is also screening at Ajyal.

Credits

Director

Dave Schram

Screenwriter

Mirjam Oomkes, Willemine van der Wiel

Producer

Danielle Guirguis, Maria Peters, Hans Pos, Dave Schram

Editor

Robin de Jong

Music

Herman Witkam

Cinematographer

Erwin Steen

Production Company

Shooting Star Film Company

Cast

Robin Boissevain, Dorus Witte, Stefan Collier, Charlotte Bakker, Nils Verkooijen, Rick van Elk

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