Summer without you

Milou Gevers

Julie (10) is going camping with her little brother and her mother but she is dreading it. It is a vacation without her father and she misses him a lot. Her parents are separated now and she has to get used to this new reality. But it turns out Julie is not the only one; at the one-parent campground in France, all the children have the same experience. Her new vacation friends help Julie look at the divorce through new glasses.

Award: best documentary from the children’s jury at JEF Festival 2023 – Belgium
Nominated for the Prix de Jeunesse Unicef Special Prize 2024 (24-29.5.2025) | München

Where to see in the Netherlands
Cinekid Festival Amsterdam | 15-29.10.2023 | Best Dutch Short Live-Action Competition
PLONS! International Short Documentary Film Festival | 10.2023
Netherlands Film Festival Utrecht | educational program | 25.09.2023
Filmblok: Familieverhalen, 10:00 Louis Hartlooper Complex

Nederlandse Kunstschooldagen | 23-24.03.2023
Dutch Public Television broadcast at EOdocs | 23.04.2023

Summer without you (Dutch title Zomer zonder jou) and the seven other youth documentaries within the series “My Parents Are Divorced” can be seen here: Mijn ouders zijn gescheiden – 2Doc.nl

Where to see at International Film Festivals
LET’S DOC Warsaw | Young Docs Competition | 13-20t April
BUFF Sweden | March 2024
Taiwan International Childrens Film Festival (TICFF) | March 2024
Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival | South Korea 
New Horizons, Kids Kino IFF | Warshaw, Poland
Minikino Bali, Indonesia | 5-15.09.2023 | nominated for Best Documentary Short
Children Filmfest | Munich, Germany
Buster Film Festival | Copenhagen, Danmark
JEF Festival | Antwerp, Belgium | 3.2023 | awarded as Best Documentary from the children’s jury.

Impact statement


Numerous screenings of the film have taken place in both cinema and classroom settings for  students aged 9 to 12. Following the screenings, the young audiences had the opportunity to engage with a Spoken Word artist. During these sessions, the artist discussed the importance and value of using language to express emotions and personal experiences related to divorce.

Moreover, our collaboration with the Villa Pinedo Foundation marks a pivotal stride forward. By seamlessly integrating the documentary series into a dynamic educational program catering to students, teachers, youth workers, and local authorities, we embark on a transformative journey. These documentaries, rich with authentic narratives, serve as a potent catalyst, igniting conversations that delve into the experiences of children with divorced parents.

The power of these real-life stories lies not just in their emotional resonance, but also in their potential to reshape our society’s understanding of this often-overlooked aspect of family dynamics. By harnessing the films as poignant conversation starters, we aspire to spark a profound shift in how divorced parents and their children are perceived and supported.

In collaboration with Villa Pinedo, we arm our stakeholders with a comprehensive toolkit and a wealth of educational resources. This equips them to facilitate meaningful dialogues and provide invaluable guidance, ultimately empowering these children to navigate the complexities of their circumstances while preserving their innocence. This endeavor isn’t merely about creating awareness—it’s about catalyzing a positive, enduring change in our collective consciousness.

Contact us if you are a teacher and you want more information about a Spoken Word workshop in your class.

Director Milou Gevers (b. 1991) graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in 2020 with the documentary Why Didn’t You Stay for Me? (25′), which became the first Dutch documentary to be awarded the student Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2021. In Why Didn’t You Stay for Me? four children who lost a parent to suicide during elementary school recount the journey they took from the moment they heard the news. Milou, as a fellow sufferer who herself lost her mother the same way, asks them the questions no one dared to ask her at the time.

portrait director Milou Gevers

The film won the heart prize at Prix Jeunesse, the VPRO Documentary Award, the Filmfonds Wildcard, the KNF Filmcritics Award, the Gouden Leeuw at Cinekid for Best Dutch Short Documentary 2021, the AHK Finalewerkprijs, AHK Audience Award, the CILECT prize 2021, the DDG Award for best short documentary directing, and best short documentary at youth film festival JEF, Mo&Friese, Japan Prize, Tegenstroom film festival, Cinema in Sneakers, Zlín film festival, Docu Donna, Minikino Film Festival and Neon film festival. And in February 2023 she won the ECFA Documentary Award.

Credits
Director of Photography | Jaap Mar Diemel
Edited by | Emma Mandjes
Commissioning editor |  Margit Balogh
Impact producer | Vera Born
Producer | Pieter Cerutti
Executive Producer | Willemijn Cerutti

With financial support from Dutch CoBO Fund.
Impactpartner | Villa Pinedo
Sales Agent | Dutch Core