EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARD 2012

One day, 10-year-old Jojo brings home a baby jackdaw. He has to keep the jackdaw hidden from his father who doesn’t like having birds in the house. Every now and then, Jojo secretly calls his mother but doesn’t tell her about his jackdaw friend. He wants to surprise her with the bird on her birthday, which is around the corner. Jojo’s father is adamant that he doesn’t want to celebrate the birthday of someone who is not present. Since the father suffers from violent mood swings, Jojo has to be very careful. Through his special friendship with the bird and the adaptability that only children possess, Jojo finds a way to break down the wall surrounding his father’s heart.

The original idea for KAUWBOY grew out of one of my childhood memories. One spring when I was young, a crow came to my window and stayed for three months. I later read somewhere that these birds can become very attached to humans if they are separated from their parents at an early age. Because I also like to see the father-son relationship I put this together with a smart bird, which later turned out to be a jackdaw. Together with Jolein Laarman I wrote the story of KAUWBOY. I hope you have as much fun watching the film KAUWBOY as I did making it. Enjoy!