In addition to my work as a musician and composer, I’ve also worked as an actor in several films.
Far from Family
In 2007, I played Buddy, a musician featured in the flashbacks of the film Ver Van Familie (Far from Family), written and directed by Dutch-Indonesian author Marion Bloem.
About Us
In 2022, I had the honor of acting in the short film About Us (Over Ons), brought to life by Moluccan storyteller and filmmaker Noah Berhitu. The spirit of this film was captured on the historic grounds of Camp Vught as well as within the Moluccan barrack preserved at the Open Air Museum in Arnhem. I stepped into the shoes of the lighthearted Uncle Tjak, who came to visit our relatives gathered at the camp. With his ukulele in hand, he brought medicine through song, uplifting everyone’s spirits and getting the whole camp to sing along.
Stamppot & Nootmuskaat
In 2026, I starred in the video installation Stamppot & Nootmuskaat (Mashed Pots & Nutmeg) by artist Merel Rugebregt. I portrayed Knilpie, a Moluccan KNIL soldier who never received his discharge papers. Frozen in time, he keeps marching across the Netherlands through pastures, playgrounds, schoolyards, and Asian grocery stores. In one scene, he gives a nod of approval while eating a bamischijf at a local snack bar that has been around since the day he first arrived in the country.
HKU University of the Arts Utrecht released the following reviews for Stamppot & Nootmuskaat:
Merel has created a deeply rich, layered, and socially vital piece of work. Through the lens of her fourth-generation perspective, she forces the viewer to confront the Netherlands’ colonial past and its loud echoes in the present day.
Working with Merel showed me that she is a highly professional, creative, inspiring, dedicated, and deeply reliable artist.
foto’s Roel Heeroma
