Today we’d like to introduce you to Femke Huurdeman.
Hi Femke, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a village in The Netherlands and when I was 18 I moved to Amsterdam to study at a fashion school. In the third year I, realized I choose the wrong studies when I was experimenting with moving images and film techniques. It all clicked at that moment and I knew I wanted to pursue filmmaking as my career.
I graduated from fashion school a year later with a (fashion) film, and with help from crew members that did have a film education I learned the basics of filmmaking. That film brought me to places in Europe and got me awards that laid the foundation for my career as it is today. 2 years after, and after a lot of trial and error with no/low-budget work, I signed with a European production company where I started doing music videos and commercials.
One of my first music videos took me to LA and I had a crush on the city ever since. Early this year I finally made the move and I have been living here for just over 9 months. My goal is to develop my narrative work here alongside my path of creative short formats. I recently signed with MJZ for commercials and music videos and I’m currently writing my first narrative short film.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With my career, I hardly look back so I tend to forget the struggles mostly. I always consider myself somewhat lucky and overall I think it’s been rather smooth, but I know I worked very hard for it too, and went through a lot of rejections. After graduating there was a period where I was working in 3 different side jobs that gave me little sleep, were physically challenging and I was trying to land film projects on the side.
That all resulted in many unanswered e-mails a lot of no’s and a lot of closed doors I don’t think I ever thought of quitting trying because the determination I had was just so strong that I kept going. Weirdly enough in my hometown Amsterdam I didn’t get to connect to companies/brands but when I started looking elsewhere in Europe it did connect quicker than expected.
I remember my mom said after a while of not landing jobs, if I shouldn’t just apply for a ‘real’ job, with a normal salary. But I’m glad I didn’t listen as I’m still very much sure that being a filmmaker is the best job in the world.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a Dutch film director mostly working within the fields of short content but on the rise of working on longer formats. My work is colorful, surreal, and stylized and has a subtle sinister edge. I have made music videos for artists like Sudan Archives and Sigrid and worked with brands and artists such as Stella McCartney, Doja Cat, Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Vogue, Zara, and Tinder among others.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I’m always looking for collaborators, writers, art directors anything related to film or the creative industry. Feel free to reach out on Instagram @femkehu or shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: www.femkehuurdeman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femkehu/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/femkehuurdeman
