{"id":3376,"date":"2020-08-12T11:08:23","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T08:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marthavanderbly.com\/?page_id=3376"},"modified":"2026-08-10T18:28:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T15:28:20","slug":"filmmaker","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marthavanderbly.com\/?page_id=3376","title":{"rendered":"FILMMAKER"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I create sociological films<\/p>\n\n\n\n

that come from truth<\/p>\n\n\n\n

explore global challenges <\/p>\n\n\n\n

search for shared humanity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in a divided world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

unity & peace <\/p>\n\n\n\n

stories that heal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

stories of courage, beauty & hope<\/p>\n\n\n\n

that change something<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in our world <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Searching for Mama Salone’s Secret<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Searching for Mama Salone\u2019s Secret<\/em><\/strong>,a feature-length sociological film, explores a simple but urgent question: what can the world learn from its most religiously tolerant country? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Independently produced, the film uncovers the unlikely but true story of Sierra Leone\u2019s peaceful religious coexistence in a time of rising global polarisation. Combining a story of personal transformation and ethnographic research, the film investigates this reality through cinematic storytelling and sociological inquiry and imagines what it could mean for the future of our increasingly divided world.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Status<\/strong> – Halfway through production. Research & Collaborations<\/strong> – Developed in close collaboration with the Sierra Leonean community. Outreach Partner<\/strong>: Religions for Peace (RvP) Suppor<\/strong>t: UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion and Belief. Recognition<\/strong> – The sociological research underpinning the film was selected for presentation at the International Sociological Association (ISA) 2025. The film was developed at Sundance Collab. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Searching for Mama Salone’s Secret – IMDb<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eva’s Mission<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Eva’s Mission<\/em><\/strong> is a feature-length sociological documentary exploring the Holocaust through the relationship between an actress and Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, Anne Frank’s posthumous stepsister. When I was cast in the play And Then They Came for Me,<\/em> first in the part of Hitler Youth, then as the lead of Eva Schloss-Geiringer (Vienna 1929 – London 2026), it was the beginning of following Eva for a decade, documenting her educational work and the horrors of the Holocaust against the backdrop of the erosion of the postwar world order – becoming a ‘witness of the witness<\/em>‘. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Film locations<\/strong>, with Eva<\/em>: London (UK), Berlin & Erfurt (Germany), Antwerpen (Belgium), Amsterdam, Soest, and Westerbork (The Netherlands), Cape Town (South Africa) – Exploring the Holocaust: <\/em> Thessaloniki (Greece), Sofia (Bulgary), Tirana (Albania), Busto Arsizio (Italy), Belmonte (Portugal), Madrid (Spain), Nice & Marseille (France), Brussels (Belgium). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the film’s journey: Facebook Page Eva’s Mission<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Production <\/strong>took place between 2011 – 2020, with Principal Photography between 2016 -2019. Funding & Recognition<\/strong>: Supported by a crowdfunding campaign through Cinecrowd, by the Amsterdam Art Council (AFK), the Gravin van Byland Foundation, the Foundation Democracy & Media, a Summer Filmmakers Residency at the University of South Carolina (USA), an award by the Cultuur Fonds Amsterdam, amongst others. Selected for the Pitching Sessions of the European Documentary Network (EDN) at Lisbon Docs. Status<\/strong>: In Post Production. Raising Completion & Outreach Funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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