MOEDERLAND

in development (expected in 2027)

MOEDERLAND is a hybrid documentary about memory, displacement and the enduring bond between a Syrian musician and his mother. After fleeing Syria for the Netherlands, Sam is forced to rebuild his life while his family remains behind. Together with filmmaker Jikke Lesterhuis, he constructs a growing miniature landscape from fragments of his memories: the swamp, a lifesaving piano, all the way back to his very first memory. Rebuilding these places becomes a reflection of rebuilding a life after displacement, piece by piece, from what remains.

Combining live action, miniature sets and animation, the film moves between Sam in the present and the worlds that exist inside his memory. As he tells his stories, the set shift with him: rooms change, details disappear and memories return in different forms. Music and phone calls with his mother open up new spaces within the landscape. Moving between the visible process of building these sets and moments in which the camera enters them completely, the film blurs the boundary between documentary reality and Sam’s imagination. In this fragile, ever-changing world, Sam creates a place where what has been lost can temporarily be rebuilt and where, despite the distance, mother and son can be together again.

Moederland (eng: Motherland) is a Starting From Scratch production.

This project is supported by