The Shepherd

2016, KRO-NCRV, 23 minutes

Nico van Hasselt (90) has been active as a general practitioner in the neighborhood of ‘Buitenveldert’ in Amsterdam ever since he moved there in 1956. He is a committed doctor who truly cares for his patients and makes more then ten house calls per day. After his morning coffee the doctor sprints eagerly to his car and drives towards his first patient of the day.

Since 1989 van Hasselt has been in a heated legal conflict with the medical insurance company Agis. Agis has been trying to shut him down. Insurance companies pressure the medical sector to standardize it and make it more efficient. Van Hasselt believes the criticism he receives is based solely on the fact that he does not want to abide by the regulations applied by the insurance companies. Insurance companies take away tasks, prescribe the length of a consult and dictate guidelines for treatments and medication. To van Hasselt this is a bridge to far. Medicine to him is not just a system; it’s taking care of each other. But as he gets older and the influence of the insurance companies grows larger, the question remains how long van Hasselt can continue his role as ‘shepherd’ of the community.


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Awards

  • Winner Best Short Doc / It’s All True Film Festival Sao Paulo
  • Winner Best Short Doc / Working Title Film Festival Vicenza
  • Winner Best Cinematography / Peak City Film Fesitval
  • Winner Best Short Doc / Construir Cine Internetional Film Festival Argentina
  • Special Mention / Gdansk Doc Film Fesitval
  • Official Competition / Nederlands Film Festival

Credits

director
d.o.p.
sound
montage
sound design
grading
graphic design
producer
network

joost van der wiel
rogier timmermans
bram boers
ralf verbeek
wiebe de boer
xandra ter horst

suzanne lustig
wout conijn
kro-ncrv