NEXT TALK : GIVING A NEW VOICE TO ARCHIVAL MATERIAL

In his triptych ‘The Black Pete Files -an archival essay about the birth, life and death of the traditional Dutch figure Black Pete’ Toll researches the journey of Black Pete using footage from broadcasters and family films.

Once portraited as a friendly helper at the annual traditional children’s party of Sinterklaas the character of Black Pete slowly gains more critique. It splits Dutch people into two groups. After all these years of action group Kick Out Zwarte Piet (Kick Out Black Pete) still has so much work to do. Controversy and heated discussions are still taking place during the time of Sinterklaas. When will Black Pete die?

This film essay – commissioned by Playgrounds and Sound & Vision –premiered at Playgrounds In Motion in 2023 and was shown at Movies That Matter and was a case study for the talent program Generation Inclusion.

Festus Toll often brings together moral issues and the search for identity in his films. As an artist, director and self-taught editor, he aims to tell personal stories that carry a social urgency. His award-winning works, including We Will Maintain and When You Hear The Divine Call, have been recognized at prestigious festivals like IDFA and NFF, making him a powerful voice in documentary filmmaking.