John Appel

filmmaker

John Appel studied Classical Literature at the University of Amsterdam and graduated at the Netherlands Film Academy in 1987. He directed more than 40 documentaries for cinema and tv and was cinematographer on numerous films. As a mentor he has worked on many films of first time (and experienced) filmmakers.  He gives masterclasses all over the world and has been jury member on major film festivals as IDFA, Karlovy Vary, Visions du Reel, Guangzhou. Voting member of the European Film Academy.

About directing: ‘I make films on the basis of a combination of thorough research and intuition. During my research I’m not just looking for facts, but above all for the vulnerability of people. I call this ‘emotional research.' 

After graduating with Best Student Film awarded Radio Daniëlle, a portrait of a local pirate radio station,  he made in 1993 his first documentary for cinema Johnny Meijer - Body and Soul, about the last and lonely days of the Amsterdam accordeon virtuoso. Audience Award at IDFA 1993.

Trench of  Death (1998) is a poetic film about the last surivors of WO I of a trench in Belgium.

André Hazes - She believes in me, about a popular singer, was the opening film of IDFA 1999. Awarded with the IDFA Award for Best Feature Length Documentary it became the greatest documentary hit in Dutch cinema over the last 60 years.

The last victory (2003), about the Palio (the famous horse race in Siena, Italy) won two major awards at the Netherlands Film Festival, many international awards, and was nominated Best European Documentary at the European Film Awards 2004.

In 2009 he made his personal film The Player, about his father’s addiction to gambling. This film was awarded with the IDFA Award for Best Dutch Documentary and was nominated IDFA Best Feature Length Documentary. Awarded Filmfund Artistic Succes  2010.

Wrong time wrong place (2012), about chance and fate, based on the tragic terrorist attack of Breivik in Norway, was the Opening film of IDFA 2012 and won several international awards.

Voices of Holland (2018), awarded with Critics Award, is a portrait of the Zeitgeist based on public speeches.

Once the dust settles (2019) deals with the aftermath of disaster areas like Chernobyl and Aleppo from the perspective of tour guides.

Free Man Grown (2024) is an impressionistic portrait of virtuoso jazz drummer and composer Yorán Vroom.