All You See/Al Wat Je Ziet

All You See/Al Wat Je Ziet
Netherlands, 2022, 72’
in Dutch and English w/ Arm./Eng. subtitles

Director and Scriptwriter: Niki Padidar
Producer: Menna Laura Meijer
Cinematographers: Jean Counet, Jefrim Rothuizen
Editors:  Niki Padidar, Albert Markus, Festus Toll
Animator: Anton Mishenin
Sound: Diego van Uden
Composer: Fin Greenall
Production Company: Mint Film Office

What if from one day to the next, you’re no longer seen, but instead are stared at? The leading characters in All You See have ended up in a new world where suddenly nothing seems to align. In their new lives in the Netherlands, they unintentionally provoke reactions on a daily basis. Even after many years, they still hear the same questions over and over again: where are you from, do you speak Dutch, do you tan in the sun? Contemplating questions of what it means to belong, who gets excluded, and how outsider status is continually reaffirmed, Padidar’s film foregrounds the sensation of being looked at. Honest, painful, and humorous encounters with three other ‘newcomers’ to the Netherlands are stylistically interwoven between Padidar’s own personal history, opening up a vulnerable space of articulation with global resonance. A confessional collage with no simple outs, All You See turns the spotlight on all of us, while simultaneously asking who is “us”?

Awards
Best Feature Documentary, Dutch Directors Guild, IDFA, Netherlands, 2022.

Niki Padidar

Born in Tehran, Iran, Niki Padidar studied photography at the New School University in New York and got her master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in Youth and Media and Representation in Media. Her short film Ninoc took home the IDFA Best Children’s Documentary Award in 2015. All You See is her debut feature documentary.

Filmography
Baggage (short fiction, 2012), Ninoc (2015), Anna: status (2022), All You See (2022).