User:Laurenszautsen

Bio:

• Name given at birth: Laurens

• Preferred name: Lau

• Pronouns: they/them (professional context)

Background:

Utrecht based filmmaker.

During my studies in Utrecht, I tried different forms of storytelling. I like both fiction and documentary, but I also have the desire to experiment further. During the majority of my education I focused more on the basics of documentary and fiction writing and directing, however, I have never lost my interest in challenging the status-quo.

For my graduation film – Phoenix – I created a fictionalized version of my own family situation of my mother who has been battling depression. It was rewarded with a wildcard from the Dutch Film Fund which enables me to make my current short.

After my bachelor, I was introduced to the Radical Faeries, a grassroots queer alternative community that originated in the United States in the 1970s. Their vision on life, spirituality, the planet, queer identity, gender and sexuality have influenced me on a big level – both as an artist and as an human being.

www.laurenszautsen.nl

Reading list:

• Notes on Camp: Susan Sontag
• In the realm of Hungry Ghosts: Gabor Maté

Curent projects

• RELEASE
• There is something about Mermaids
• Lost footage / The Way You Stay
• Sashay Away