At this moment, I am working on realizing the documentary film "GEIST". This film will tell the history of the two German poets and visionaries, Goethe and Schiller.
My interest in this subject grew from my philosophy studies, through which I encountered Schiller's work on freedom. Later, my fondness bloomed for Goethe's philosophy on art and for their letter correspondence, which showed the mutual inspiration they gave each other in their friendship.
The film will be as much a historic documentary as a story about the modern zeitgeist. The script is written in the form of a letter to a friend, but could be seen as a letter to my generation. This was inspired by my own letter writing with my friends, through which I experienced the importance of letter writing in modern day. This form helps me collide history with a modern voice.
Throughout history, letters show the inner thoughts of political and cultural movements. The power of words never seems to disappear since it's all tangible. In modern times, communication seems to be everywhere, but it is more futile than ever.
Statue of Goethe and Schiller in Weimar. Shot during my first visit to Weimar in January 2026.
For my research, I traveled to the city where they lived and worked together: Weimar. This was a special trip where I first encountered the buildings where they lived and the streets they walked on. My mind almost couldn't comprehend that I was now really in the world about which I had read and written so much for the past few years.
It did not disappoint. Although Weimar is very touristic due to its cultural heritage - next to it being famous because of Goethe, Schiller, and many other artists and composers who lived here, it also holds the concentration camp Buchenwald nearby, it's the birthplace of Bauhaus, and the residence of Nietzsche's archive - it still breathes the fairy tale-like quality of past times.
During my visit, I met with people from the Goethe Gesellschaft, who were very welcoming of both my project and future collaboration. This made me, of course, feel very happy and at ease in proceeding my plan.
After visiting Weimar, I continued my research into the specific historical story I wanted to tell. I already had many conversations with professors and knowledgeable people about the subject, who had been generous enough to make time for me and answer my questions. Now I realized there was only one element needed to gather my ideas into something cohesive: time.
At the beginning of 2026, I therefore left the city I had lived in for the last seven years, Amsterdam, and moved to London, where I had the opportunity to work full-time on the script of this film. That brought me to the place I am now.
What I am most enthusiastic about in my film is its visual potential. Over the past year, I worked on creating a visual language for the film that will accompany the script. By means of humor, the images I want to create will bring the story of the two poets to life. An important aspect of this is shooting with the inhabitants and exteriors of Weimar, blurring the line between fiction and documentary.
Weimar is a beautiful visual backdrop for a film. The historic buildings easily transport someone to another time. The nature in the surroundings of the city and in the city's parks and gardens is timelessly stunning. And what fascinated me most during my visit to Weimar were the houses of Goethe and Schiller, full of beautiful memorabilia. The opportunity to capture these living spheres for my film is something I can't wait to do. They all hold tiny elements into a story.
A set of playing cards of Schiller.
Goethe's garden house in Weimar.
The park Goethe designed for Weimar, 'Park an der Ilm'.
I find it artistically a challenge to surpass my vision and message in a film that can seem like a 'boring' subject matter, and that would only be appealing to an audience interested in history and culture. I truly believe the opposite is true: this story about two historic stars and characters could make history inspiring and interesting for a wide audience. I want to share the joy it brought me in my encounters with it. And the insights it gave me with my questions and struggles in modern times.
To realize this documentary film, I need financial resources to pay the crew I want to hire, transport, and temporary residence for us in Weimar. I strive to make use of the funding available for projects like this. As an independent director and producer, the options are limited, and therefore, I welcome ideas and initiatives that could broaden my horizons for solutions.
Nevertheless, this historic material is a never-ending source of creative stimulation. While I enjoy mastering my script and production, I will continue to look forward to viewing the future audience of "GEIST" about it, too.
A swan swaying in the river that passes through Park an der Ilm.