It is of course impossible to write a few lines about working with Ida Does and to do justice to the 3 years from our first meeting to the premiere of ‘Three Women: On Slavery and Freedom’. I had no previous experience with filmmaking whatsoever, I am not a person who likes being in the limelight, yet I placed absolute trust in Ida to film what turned out to be a deeply personal and emotional journey. And I was astonished by the result. Ida was able to capture exactly what I wanted to say, in ways I could never have imagined. This was even more surprising to me because during the actual filming she hardly gave any directions. She seemed to just create a space for me and everyone else involved to express ourselves. And then went to work to create the film she had in her mind all along. It was an extraordinary journey with an extraordinary woman and I feel incredibly privileged and humbled to have worked with her on this film.
Ellen-Rose Kambel – (Three Women, about slavery and freedom)
Ida Does has the talent, sensitivity and focus to draw out the essence of her subject, whether it the person or the landscape, each are treated with a discerning eye.
Sigrid Nama – (Poetry is an island, Derek Walcott)
It was a great honor to be a part of the documentary Amsterdam, Traces of Sugar. The film reveals a painful history about sugar, blood, and enslaved people. The esthetics of the images, shot by Jurgen Lisse, are a caress to our eyes and at the same time perhaps alleviate the pain of the ancestors.The film more than deserved the award it has received. This history must be told and Ida does so with love and respect. The documentary has so many layers and will therefore permanently reverberate in our memory. And what I find very important: This history is filmed by a black woman, recorded for future generations.We have to start telling our own stories from our own perspective. Only then will the story become complete.
Patricia Kaersenhout – (Amsterdam, traces of sugar)
Contributing to the documentaries that Ida Does made about my father was educational for me. Especially the casual atmosphere during the film sessions, the trust, and the friendship. Ida’s research is tremendous and it was an absolute honor for me to be involved in the films. The work she has created about my father Anton de Kom has contributed to a positive awareness and a more balanced image of history.
Judith de Kom – (Peace, memories of Anton de Kom )
Images can be overwhelming. Monuments and objects from the colonial period primarily transmit, at first sight, the stories of the elite. Many people who want to shed light on the other side of history are faced with this fact. Ida Does turns that problem into her strength. She imagines the material and the immaterial, the monumental and the personal, the light and the shadow all at the same time, and thus does justice to the whole. In this way she adds much-needed new narratives to the existing repertoire, about the complex basis of our Dutch and Caribbean societies.
Valika Smeulders – (Three Women, about slavery and freedom)
I am very happy about the collaboration with Ida. Her ability to translate stories into images and the combination with various art disciplines, is what makes her work so inspiring. Ida trusts the people she works with. Within the set frameworks that she gave as a director, I was able to give free rein to my own creativity. Our collaboration was wonderful and I look forward to the next joint project.
Erico Smit – (Three Women, about slavery and freedom)
It was nice to look back at the inspiring presence of Trefossa- Henri de Ziel during the filming sessions. It remains so remarkable how this poet was able to express his feelings so accurately. You can also read that in his diaries, which are quoted in Ida Does’ film. Trefossa is still often quoted. He has never been away completely and never will be. Also by putting his poems to music as done by Denise Jannah and Nel Dahlberg. He continues to live long after his death.
Mavis Aimable Noordwijk – ( I am not I, Trefossa)
It was a pleasure to share some of my experiences as a son in the film ‘Poetry is an island. I am grateful that my father Derek Walcott was still able to enjoy this work. It’s a wonderful memory, caught on film.
Peter Walcott – (Poetry is an island, Derek Walcott)
I had a great experience by working on Three women, about slavery and freedom. As a human being and as a winti priest I have fully exploited the opportunity offered to rewrite history. The documentary has been very well received. The love, the expertise and the respectful approach of Sister Ida and crew guaranteed this beautiful historical document. Wan bigi gran tangi, A big Thank You!
Marian Markelo aka Nana Efua- (Three Women, about slavery and freedom)
Ida Does invited me to present the documentary Sporen van Smaragd. For a month I have been allowed to work with a woman who understands her job, has respect and love for the history of our country, dissolves unforeseen problems very creatively and also handles flexibility and humor with her colleagues.
Yvonne Keuls – (Sporen van Smaragd)
Collaborating with Ida Does was not only a rewarding experience, but also life-changing. She has the gift of being able to capture the full essence and meaning of your words while deeply embedding in her narrative. The result is not only a thought-provoking documentary, but a beautifully crafted and creative work of art. Ida does not shy away from the difficult subjects, on the contrary she dives in and invites her participants to take the leap with her, trusting that she will bring truth to life on screen for the world to see. – Jennifer Tosch – (Amsterdam, Traces of Sugar)
In her work, Ida is able to seek and connect with others in a playful way. During our collaboration it was memorable for me to discover how beautiful Ida was able to transfer the immense cruelty that the second world war had brought about, into something so meaningful. She transferred it into knowledge and rightfulness. Ida stays true to herself. Making a compromise only comes from mutual respect for each other’s boundaries. It is enjoyable to experience that you complement each other and in that way: to shine together. Ida is good at that! ‘Bogo Bogo Blessi!’ (Much Blessings)
Gerda Havertong – (Memories of Anton de Kom)
In March 2017 I had the pleasure to be present at the filming of a scene of Ida’s important film Amsterdam, traces of sugar. The scene was filmed in the Portrait Gallery of the Golden Age, for which I was part of the curatorial team. It was an intensely meaningful experience. The dance with the Kabra-mask and Marian Markelo’s singing gave a completely new layer of meaning to the room I thought I knew so well. Traces of Sugar is a documentary, but here the meeting of ancestors was carefully staged by Ida and it asked so many profound questions about how we look at ancestors, what the meaning of tangible and intangible heritage are, in remembering the past and how this heritage reflects balances of power, then and now. Immensely powerful lessons for a curator specialized in 17th century Dutch art such as myself, but for the general public too. If we disregard the spiritual, the invisible and the intangible in history, we only tell stories of power.
Tom van der Molen – (Amsterdam, Traces of sugar)