Director's Works
Spellbound Nicola Hepp
Educated as a dancer in Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands, Nicola Hepp obtained her Master in Choreography and New Media at the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. Between 2003 and 2016, her performances frequently involved video and projections juxtaposed with live movement. Since creating her first short film, Echo, her focus shifted towards dance film and choreography for camera. Nicola’s choreographies and films have been shown in festivals and venues internationally and have won several awards and nominations. Besides making her own films, she also works under commission as a choreographer and movement director for commercial ads, mood films, shorts and feature films. With her extensive background in dance and ample experience in the film industry, she decided to found The Movers, a dance production company and agency specialising in dance and movement for film. Nicola is frequently invited to (dance) film festivals around Europe to teach workshops about Dance film and choreographing for the screen.
The short film Spellbound is about our ability to contemplate life and death. It explores how the choice between the two can sometimes become clouded. Spellbound zooms in on the moment someone decides to end their life. We follow a woman struggling with her mental health. In a dream world, she confronts herself. There, she manages to overcome herself and rediscover her hope and desire to live. Spellbound showcases both the vulnerability and strength of humans. It touches on how easy it is to cross certain boundaries, to a place that seems impossible to return from. And about how someone eventually finds the will to persevere.