The nominations for the annual Academy Awards have been announced – and while I don’t usually approach that news with much interest, this year I’ve been rooting for someone. When the shortlist was rolled out in December, a film I’d had the pleasure of reviewing for Indy Film Library was there!
One month on, I’m thrilled to learn that I’m Not a Robot (reviewed as Ik ben geen robot) has secured the full nomination for Best Live Action Short!
First and foremost, I’d like to extend a hearty congratulations from everyone at Indy Film Library to writer-director Victoria Warmerdam, producer Trent and the wonderful cast and crew who brought the story to life. You deserve it.
Second, beyond being thrilled that a film Indy Film Library has championed (as well as a five-star review, we awarded it Best Screenplay at our festival last April), I would like to point out that I’m Not a Robot‘s success proves something I have been saying for years. There is a wealth of filmmaking talent in the Netherlands, which is under-appreciated both at home and abroad.
Too much of the Dutch film industry is dedicated to producing identikit cover-acts of popular Hollywood movies. I believe that the success of disruptors like Oak Motion Pictures shows that daring to do different – to tell innovative and emotionally authentic stories, without having to ape American trends – is a model that can both bear fruit domestically, and revolutionise how cinema from the Netherlands is seen on a global basis.
But finally, and possibly most importantly, I would like to note how crucial it is right now to promote thought-provoking stories like I’m Not a Robot. At a time when the rightward slide of mainstream politics means that the bodily autonomy of women is sinisterly ‘up for discussion’ again, this dark comedy centres on a woman finding out her partner has tried taken control over her life “in the most intimate and terrible way possible“.
It is brilliant news that the film will now be introduced to an even wider audience in that case. And, when Warmerdam and co. get round to adapting it to a feature-length outing, I look forward to the next amazing step on their adventure as some of the brightest emergent talents in the independent film industry.