Ama, a determined Dutch swimmer of Senegalese descent, faces deportation with her family. Immersed in her mother's fantastical tales and the magical porcupine that serves as her family’s totem animal, Ama discovers her heritage's magic, empowering her to stand up for her family and her culture.

AWARDS:

Grand Jury Award, New York International Children's Film Festival, 2023

Audience Award Best Film, Jef Fest, 2023

Audience Award Best Film, Kyoto International Children's Film Festival, 2023

Bronze Castle & ASPI Award, Castellinaria - Festival Del Cinema Giovane Bellinzona, 2023

Winner ECFA Competition, Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival, 2023

Pelli Award, Kinderfilmfest Munster, 2023

Michel Film Award Maja, Film Festival Hamburg, 2023

Prix Du Jury Enfants, Luxomberg City Film Festival, 2023

Prix Du Jury Scolaire, Luxomberg City Film Festival, 2023

Guri Award, Divercine Festival, 2023

European Children's Jury Award, Schlingel International Film Festival, 2023

Audience Award Best Children's Film, Cinekid Festival, 2022

Director Bio/Statement:

Sander Burger (1975) was born in Ivory Coast and grew up in Indonesia and Iraq before completing his education in the Netherlands. He directed his first two documentaries, Ons Waterloo (2002) and In de Naam van de Zoon (2003), immediately after graduating from the Netherlands Film Academy (class of 2001). In 2004, he made and produced the fiction short KOEN! which brought him a nomination for the NPS KORT! award. This was followed almost immediately by three features in quick succession: Olivier etc. (2007), Panman, Rhythm of the Palms (2008) and Hunting & Sons (2009). Panman won awards including ‘Best Feature’ at the Hollywood Black Film Festival. For Hunting & Sons Sander was nominated for awards including Best Director at the Sao Paulo International Film Festival. Sander then returned to documentaries with the multiple-award-winning Alice Cares (2015, nomination for the ‘Prix Europa’ for best feature-length documentary, among others). This was followed by Stand Up and Walk (2017) and Scenarios for a Normal Life (2019). He also continued to make fiction, however. For example, he wrote and directed four Duivelse Dilemma’s, two NTR KORT!s and the Telefilm Off Track (2017). Last year saw the television screening of the three-part series for broadcaster VPRO The Sad Champion, written and directed by Sander. For this series, filmed entirely on Curaçao and based both on a novel and a true story, Sander mixed documentary and fiction in his own unique way. Last year also saw the release of Sander’s long-anticipated theatrical feature The Judgement, which was nominated for 11 Golden Calves and won 4, including Best Film and Best Screenplay. TOTEM is Sander’s first family film.