Marion Bloem
Biography
Marion Bloem (1952) is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist of Indo (Indonesian/Dutch) descent. Her parents, originally from the former colony of the Dutch East Indies, fled to the Netherlands after Indonesia gained independence. In 1976 she graduated from Utrecht University as a clinical psychologist. Soon after this, she gained recognition with her debut novel "Geen Gewoon Indisch meisje" (No Ordinary East Indian Girl) and the documentary "Het land van mijn ouders" (The Land of My Parents). She has received multiple awards, including the prestigious Constantijn Huygens Prize for her entire body of work. Many of her works have been translated into other languages, including Japanese, German, English, and Indonesian. She runs an art gallery in Amsterdam.
Known For & Full Filmography3 Titles
Movie - 2009, 2h 15m • as Self
Reading relay of the novel 'Oeroeg' by Hella Haasse by eighty well-known and lesser-known Dutch people. Each person reads a page aloud, after which the book is passed on to the next reader. Philip Freriks, news anchor and ambassador for Nederland Leest, opens the reading relay. Director Shireen Strooker concludes it. 'Oeroeg' is Hella Haasse's debut novel from 1948. Haasse tells the story of the friendship between an Indonesian boy and the son of a Dutch administrator at a tea plantation in the Dutch East Indies before the Second World War. Gradually, the two boys grow apart. When the narrator, the Dutch boy, returns to the Indies—which has not yet quite become Indonesia—after studying in Delft, their estrangement turns out to have grown into a chasm. The final sentence reads: "Am I forever a stranger in the land of my birth, on the soil from which I do not wish to be uprooted? Time will tell."
Movie - 2024, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
After the death of her husband Ivan, writer Marion Bloem must rebuild her life. While painting, she processes her pain and grief, as she has not yet found the words to put her emotions on paper. Later, the poems come, and after a long inner process, she writes a book. A film about love, loss, and the transformative power of creativity.
Movie - 2024, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.