Heddy Honigmann: 1951–2022
The acclaimed Dutch filmmaker Heddy Honigmann has died at the age of 70 from complications caused by cancer and Multiple Sclerosis.
Born in Peru to exiled Polish Holocaust survivors, Honigmann moved to the Netherlands in the late 1970s and embarked on her filmmaking career. In Honigmann’s documentaries, which include O Amor Natural (wherein senior citizens in Rio recite and comment on the erotic poetry of Carlos Drummond de Andrade), Metal and Melancholy (the stories of taxi drivers in Lima, Peru), and Buddy (exploring the bond between service dogs and their owners), her eye for elegantly composed images and, most importantly, her gift for offering empathy and sensitivity to her subjects, is on full display. As Honigmann said of her process, she preferred having a conversation to conducting an interview. Her work will continue to move and inspire audiences and filmmakers for many years to come.