Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) took over the cinema Het Ketelhuis in Amsterdam during the city’s recent fashion week end January to debut a series of short films created by the students to express their views of fashion.

Rebecca Breuer, lecturer in film & visual culture at AMFI explained that for ten weeks, almost 40 students worked really hard to create seven fashion films, working in small teams. Within a limited time and coached by professionals, they learnt about all aspects needed to create a short film.

One of the films, Zwervend, tells the story of a girl who tries to capture uniqueness in a cardboard world of mass consumption: written and directed by Nienke Sinnema, camera by Joey de Leeuw, art direction by Serkan Kose, creative production by Koen Webbers, executive production by Jermaine Reawaruw.

The film 00636721 written and directed by Anna Mars has the subtitle ‘Lost myself and i am nowhere to be found’ and Oliver Wilkinson, Daphne Daalhof, Charlotte Marck, Alexia Vanuytrecht and Ashely Kluutenberg also worked on the film.

Rebecca noticed that ‘Remarkably the seven short student films were all about outsiders in one way or another: whether obsessed about her nose (‘Complex’ directed by Liset van der Laan); wanting to hold onto her oddness and character (‘Zwervend’ – Nienke Sinnema); scared about treading out of the norm (‘Karakter’ – Inge Beentjes); or captured by it (‘Frame’ – Iris Nijmeijer and ‘Amber No 5’ – Indra Klein Holte); trying to hide your being different (‘00636271’ – Anna Mars) or wanting it too soon (‘Anna’ – Kate Braybrooke) – all these films are about being different.’

The film called Karakter is about a girl (Senne) who has a scar on her face and is trying to be strong in a world full of people who all have an opinion about beauty. She is going to a party with friends who tell her to cover up the scar. She ends up in a kaleidoscopic world/dream in where she realizes she doesn’t want to look like her doll-friends with all that makeup. As soon as she turns back to the real world, she wipes of the makeup and they go out. Senne only wearing red lipstick and her scar. Karakter is directed by Inge Beentjes, plus Caroly de Bruyn (creative production), Ania Juskiewicks (art drection), loes Koster (camera) and Jessica Snel (production).

‘And that is exactly what these AMFI students of visual culture are or have become during the past 20 weeks’, continues Rebecca. ‘Both they and their work has proved to be touching. Touching because they agreed to look upon fashion based on utmost inner and personal feelings. Touching because they went out there and discovered new ground. Ground that was waiting to be trod upon and ground that fashion might truly need in the near future. These students have been bold for finding something rare and sharing it.’

The seven films saw their premiere in a sold out cinema on day two of the Fashion Week. Cinema Het Ketelhuis is situated only 100 metres from the AIFW catwalk shows and the location allowed the students of AMFI to present their individual photographic work, as well as their short films.

Besides the student films, the programme, created in collaboration with Het Ketelhuis and AMFI, featured The September Issue and four different films selected and introduced by young and upcoming fashion designers, including Kim Bakker (NON by Kim) and Mattijs van Bergen who chose Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible for it being so opposite to the always progressing world of fashion: ‘This film makes one think about what can actually happen on a normal day in the life of people, and how it can change events for a lifetime. I like to seek those discrepancies between fashion, life and film’ Mattijs said.

One of the AMFI students has designed a book featuring the photography work from the students on the course and the Institute are currently looking for a publisher.

AMFI

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