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DOCUMENTARY, 2022

Mothers

An innovative documentary, on the on the edge of narrative and non-fiction, MOTHERS tells the story of four women whose lives were forever changed when their adolescent sons entered a youth crime prevention program. The lives of these mothers were dramatically impacted when their sons were put on a list of young criminals. The mothers – who are portrayed by lip-syncing actresses – share intimate stories of maternal love, parenthood, frustration, and powerlessness. They describe feeling trapped in a web of aid agencies, youth care, and police while watching helplessly as their boys slide further into crime. TV archive and government documents reveal how their lives were impacted by an algorithmic reality that aims to assess the risks of their sons turning to crime. But can anyone’s life really be captured by data? Can they challenge the statistics that mark them as dangerous?

With Manoushka Zeegelaar Breeveld, Urmie Plein, Harriet Stroet, Senna Gourdou.

Director
Nirit Peled
Research
Henneke Hagen, Els Duran, Jelle Klaas, Fieke Jansen, Nirit Peled
D.O.P
Gregor Meerman
Editing
Patrick Janssens, Tessel de Vries
Sound Mix
Evelien van der Molen
Music
Alex Simu
Producer
Katja Draaijer @ Baldr
Commisioning Editor
Barbara Truyen @ VPRO