INTERVIEW: Syrian refugees are focus of new documentary, ‘Miss Kiet’s Children’
The new documentary Miss Kiet’s Children tells the story of Syrian refugees who have been relocated to Holland. These students find themselves in the classroom of Kiet Engels, a woman whose has taken it upon herself to teach the children how to speak Dutch and make a life in Holland.
The movie, currently playing at New York City’s Film Forum, is a moving documentary filled with emotion, heartbreak, humor and compassion. It’s a personal look at a story that has been in the headlines ever since the Syrian civil war began driving families out of the Middle East and into neighboring Europe.
Recently, the filmmakers, Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster, exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How did you find Kiet Engels?
We found Kiet Engels when we asked the directors of all primary schools in Holland if they recommend a special and wonderful teacher. The answer that made the biggest impression was the one from Gerard Smeters, director of a school in a small town in the south. He wrote us a kind of love letter about “his” Miss Kiet. He spoke of her in the highest praises and described how she had set up a class for the immigrant and refugee children who live in the nearby villages. Till then we didn’t think of making a film about refugees. We simply wanted to make a documentary about an extraordinary teacher because in Holland teachers are under-valued and underpaid.
What initially inspired you to tell her story and the story of these refugees?
With her and her class two things came together: the importance of good education for every child and the necessity that we make a big effort to look after the refugee children well so that they will become integrated in our society. Miss Kiet strongly believes that these children do not cause a threat or problem but are a chance for our society.
With all the negativism directed at refugees now, we forget that they are children who simply have a right to a good education and a humane treatment.
Do you believe stories like this are lost in the news headlines?
These stories are lost in the headlines. Miss Kiet is someone who brings Angela Merkel’s sentence “we can do it/wir schaffen das” into action. And there are lot of people like her who do that without making any fuss about it or attracting any attention. But they need to be seen and heard because they are solving the issues that politicians refuse to address. Or if they do, they do it in negative terms.
What do you hope audiences learn from watching the film?
People can learn from the film that endless love and attention for children works as a healing force. It lays the base for a hopeful future for these kids.
What were some of the challenges during the filming process?
The biggest challenge was to not intervene but to keep observing calmly.
During filming we tried not to attract any attention, and as soon as we turned off the camera, we’d slip into the role of assistant teacher and help the children with math or spelling. But then we had to be careful not to miss anything and turn on the camera at the right moment and return to our observing role.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Miss Kiet’s Children, directed by Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster, is currently playing New York City’s Film Forum. Click here for more information.
