As Adriana lies on her deathbed, a young girl appears before her. Together they wander through the Dutch landscape of Zeeland while Adriana tries to make peace with her past.

Although her life has been largely dominated by men, SOBER shows a brighter future for the next generations of women.

In 2012, together with Theaterproductiehuis Zeelandia, Julia took the initiative of a performance based on interviews with members of her family from Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeeland Flanders) about the family-owned confectionary sugar empire ‘Van Melle’. Renowned Belgian playwright Paul Pourveur wrote King sweet King of De Zoete Inval. In the years that followed, the monologue from the First Act, inspired by the life of Julia’s Great-Grandmother, kept on haunting her.

In 2020 Julia decided to ask Paul Pourveur if she could use this text as a starting-point for the screenplay of a short film. Together with Joël Duinkerke, she tells the story in a cinematic portrait.

SELECTIon SOBER FILM FESTIVALS

Raindance 2021, London, UK (Academy Award, BAFTA en Canadian Screen Award Qualifying) - Official Selection

TOPAZ Film Festival 2021, presented by Women in Film, Dallas, Texas, US - Official Selection and winner Best Foreign Short

Film by the Sea 2021, Vlissingen, The Netherlands - Official Selection and Nomination Best fiction short

Middelburg International Film Festival 2022, The Netherlands - Official Selection and winner Best Provincial Short

New Renaissance Film Festival 2021, London, UK - Official Selection

New Renaissance Film Festival 2021, Amsterdam - Official Selection and Honourable Mention Best Dutch Short

Sober premiered in Cinema Middelburg during the Zeeland Late-Summer Festival in The Netherlands.

Cast Julia van de Graaff, Liv van Kollenburg and Rini Fenijn | screenplay Julia van de Graaff (based on a text by Paul Pourveur) and Joël Duinkerke | story supervision Joël Duinkerke | dramaturge Alex Mallems | director Joël Duinkerke | producer Julia van de Graaff | director of photography Rieks Soepenberg | production design Laura Windt | editor Max Vonk | music Erik de Reus | costume designer Gerda Knuivers | casting Julia van de Graaff and Joël Duinkerke | co-producer TPH Zeelandia | line producer Edgar Kapp | production manager Gino Ragueb | production assistent Jorge Lopes and Elias Ludikhuijze | 1st AD Arjen Slings | script continuity Jade van der Moere | gaffer Twan Peeters | camera assistent Joost Kuiper | light assistent Joëlle van Adrichem | sound Sander den Broeder | make-up / hair Corine Hamel | colour grading Max Vonk | sound design Erik de Reus | location scout Joël Duinkerke | translation in english Susana Powell - Hobart | coordination ZNF Bart Mulder | catering SEC Catering