Willem Baptist
Willem Baptist | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 (age 46–47) Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Willem de Kooning Academy |
| Occupations | Filmmaker, documentary director, film producer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Notable work | I'm Never Afraid! (2010) Wild Boar (2013) Instant Dreams (2017) |
| Awards | Golden Gate Award – San Francisco International Film Festival (2012) for I'm Never Afraid! |
Willem Baptist (born 1979) is a Dutch filmmaker, documentary-director and film producer.
Career
He graduated from Willem de Kooning Academy in 2009, having received notable prizes for his studentshorts.
His documentary I’m Never Afraid! (2010) won a Golden Gate Award at San Francisco International Film Festival,[1] Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize at Atlanta Film Festival,[2] and a Kinderkast Jury award non-fiction at Cinekid Festival.[3] His documentary Wild Boar (2013) premiered at Hot Docs, AFI Docs, and Visions du Réel, where it was awarded a Special Mention for best short film.[4][5][6]
In 2016 Imposible Magazine reported Baptist was shooting a documentary titled Instant Dreams in Berlin and Los Angeles.[7] The same year, the feature film Young Wrestlers, he co-wrote and was directed by Mete Gümürhan, received a Special Mention from the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival. [8]
Instant Dreams premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in 2017, where it competed in the First Appearance Competition.[9] The European premiere was at Visions du Reel. In the United States the film premiered at Slamdance Film Festival. [10][11] The film was internationally released; theatrically and on streaming platforms.[12][13] Instant Dreams was nominated for a Golden Calf, Rose d'Or, Doc Alliance-award and holds a positive score on Rotten Tomatoes, rating it ‘fresh’ based on critic reviews.[14]
In 2018 The Saugatuck Center for the Arts, present the Midwest premiere of the Instant Dreams documentary at 7 p.m. Friday, October 19, and was a feature an on-site Polaroid portrait studio in the lobby.[15]
From 2007 to 2013, he was co-owner of production company Kaliber Film. Since 2014, he has been co-founder and co-owner of Tangerine Tree, a Rotterdam-based production company in the Netherlands.[16][17]
References
- ^ "55th San Francisco International Film Festival Winners Announced at Golden Gate Awards Ceremony Wedndesday, May 2 - San Francisco Film Society". Sffs.org. 2012-02-05. Archived from the original on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
- ^ "Grand Jury Winners — Atlanta Film Festival". Atlantafilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
- ^ "Winnaars 2011 | Cinekid" (in Dutch). Cinekid.nl. Archived from the original on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
- ^ "this-years-afi-docs-slate-muppets-indie-rockers-and-nostalgia". washingtoncitypaper.com. 2014-05-21.
- ^ "afi-docs-releases-complete-line-up". indiewire.com. 2014-05-21.
- ^ "WILD BOAR And LOUIS THE FERRIS WHEEL KID At AFI DOCS". international.eyefilm.nl. 2014-05-22. Archived from the original on 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- ^ "Instant Dreams". magazine.the-impossible-project.com. 2016-08-31.
- ^ Petković, Vladan (22 February 2016). "Young Wrestlers: The boys get ready to rumble". Cineuropa. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "312-films-geselecteerd-voor-idfa-2017". biosagenda.nl. 2017-10-09.
- ^ "Instant Dreams is acquired". Variety.com. 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Slamdance Film Festival Unveils Competition Lineup". variety.com. 28 November 2017.
- ^ "instant-dreams-documentary-on-fascination-of-polaroid-film-opens-on-april". vimooz.com. 19 April 2019.
- ^ "Instant Dreams opens in New York". twi-ny.com. 19 April 2019.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes – Instant Dreams". rottentomatoes.com. 19 April 2019.
- ^ Heth, Sarah. "SCA to screen documentary 'Instant Dreams' centering on love of Polaroid photography". Holland Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^ "Kaliber Film". Producentenalliantie (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "Tangerine Tree". Producentenalliantie (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 February 2026.