“Zand” Year: 2007 Runtime: 21min Genre: Short Drama
Luuk is a truck driver who seems to be a goodhearted father for his eight-year-old daughter Isabel. After Luuk divorced from his wife Karen, Isabel lives with her mother. Whenever Luuk has the chance he takes Isabel to the sea or for a ride in his truck, which only carries sand. On one of those occasions Luuk discovers the horrific reason why Isabel is so quiet that day. From that moment on Luuk has to cope with a new and unexpected situation. Luuk kidnaps his daughter in an attempt to protect her, but he slowly loses control.
The short film SAND by Dutch director and writer Joost van Ginkel won the prize for Best Fiction Film during the 35th Badalona International Short Film Festival Filmets in Barcelona. Actors Veerle Witkop and Jack Wouterse, who are playing the leading roles in the film, also won awards for Best Actress and Best Actor.
Additionally, SAND won the ‘Si Loin Si Proche’ prize and the festival’s Grand Prix during the ‘Courts Devant – Festival des Films Courts qui Avancent’ in Paris.
In 2008 SAND was the only film from the Netherlands selected for the 65th edition of the Venice Film Festival and the official entry from the Netherlands for the Oscars in the category Best Live Action Short Film. The film received an honourable mention during the Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto in 2009, where Jack Wouterse received an award for Best Actor as well. SAND also won the prize for ‘Best Dutch Short Film’ at the Go Short International Short Film Festival in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.