The Mawda case is undeniably one of the darkest pages in recent Belgian history. Not only because it involved the senseless death of a two-year-old child, or because of the deliberate cover-up with which the authorities (police and public prosecutor) tried to avoid responsibility, but equally because of the shameless political framing that followed. It was utterly sad to see these parents accused and criminalized by the powers that be when they had just lost their daughter.
In early 2021, the Bergen court eventually sentenced the policeman who fired the fatal shot to one year in prison with a suspended sentence for involuntary manslaughter. The officer appealed, but was again found guilty in late 2021. However, he received a light sentence reduction of 10 months’ probation and a fine of 400 euros. The Iraqi driver of the van was effectively given four years. The verdict follows the rhetoric of political framing and implies that the real culpability for Mawda’s death lies with the human traffickers (and indirectly with the parents, the occupants of the van), not with the authorities or with a failing and inhumane migration policy that encourages desperate acts like this.
Films do not change the world, but they can be a catalyst for change.
However, a film like HOLD ON TO HER shows a different reality. It shows a reality where there is room for empathy, compassion, and togetherness, striving for social justice and calling for (non-violent) resistance. Films do not change the world, but they can be a catalyst for change. Like no other medium, film allows the viewer to identify with what is happening on the screen. HOLD ON TO HER holds up a mirror and makes us think about how we can make a difference. As a producer and a filmmaker, but much more as a fellow citizen and fellow human being, I therefore consider it almost a duty to collaborate on projects like this in order to counterbalance the prevailing discourse.
