's Nachts

Max Blomaard received a grant to develop the film 's Nachts: a film that shines a light on a still underexposed issue, namely that men can also be victims of sexual abuse. On average, it takes boys and men much longer to talk about their experience and this is mainly due to the male socialisation process and existing stereotypes about what a man should be.

When the main character Sam has sex with a girl one night against his will, he becomes completely confused. He is a man after all, so why does he feel so dirty and used? Besides, he must have provoked it himself. He shouldn't have slept with her either. Six months later, it is still an event that weighs heavily on him, but he does not manage to share the unpleasant experience with anyone. "Being a man" gets in his way: there is still a prevailing perception that a man has to be strong, let alone be raped by a woman. Surely men always feel like sex?

After years of telling stories through photography, Max shifted his creative focus to cinema. He recently graduated as a film director from the RITCS in Brussels. Although originally from Amsterdam, he wanted to gain as much knowledge of the Belgian film world as possible. Max's take on filmmaking is illustrated by his graduation project, A Place of Our Own This film serves as a good representation of his artistic vision: small films about humane themes, told in a subtle and minimalist way but with a lot of atmosphere.