The Kid and the Clown

Ida Grøn, Denmark, 2011, color, video, 53'
Synopsis

Angus works two days a week in the children's oncology department of Skejby Sygehus, one of the largest academic hospitals in Denmark. He is neither a nurse nor a doctor, but a clown. He tries to get the children laughing, immersed as they are in a world of injections, drips and chemo treatments. One of these children is six-year-old Tobias. This powerfully personal documentary brings to the screen a year and a half in the hospital lives of Tobias and Angus. Their experiences provide a glimpse into the daily goings-on in this remarkable hospital department, where high points and low points sometimes alternate in very rapid succession. While Tobias struggles with his cancer, Angus battles against the fear and despair that strikes many children and their parents over the course of the intensive treatments. Angus is convinced that humor increases the chance of the treatment's success, but he also acknowledges that these young patients are absolutely alone in their confrontation with their life-threatening disease. For Tobias, in any case, Angus's presence seems to be very meaningful, and the relationship that grows between them produces touching moments.

Comments
 
Roeth van Gogh:
“Wauw!”
Mark as improper 25 November 2011
Rithy Panh to present Top 10 at IDFA Cambodian director Rithy Panh (1964, Phnom Penh) is to compile this year’s IDFA Top 10. Rithy Panh broke through in 2003 with his documentary S21, The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine. His new film, The Missing Image, won the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes film festival last week.
IDFA WorldView Summer School announces 2013 selection May 2, 2013 | A total of 16 projects from participants all over the world have been selected for the sixth edition of the IDFA WorldView Summer School, which will take place July 1-6, 2013. The projects hail from 14 different countries and range from archive-driven narratives to stories shot in a cinema vérité style.
IDFA 2013 Film Entry now open! March 5, 2013 | Submissions for IDFA 2013 can now be entered. Deadlines are May 1 (for documentaries completed before April 1) and August 1 (for documentaries completed after April 1).
SNS Reaal Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds