Director's Works
KPN, Everyone Except Emma Branderhorst
Emma Branderhorst is a film and commercial director known for her pure, real-life approach to storytelling, infused with a cinematic touch. Much of her work is told from a feminine perspective, through powerful and independent female protagonists, offering an authentic and emotionally resonant view of the world around her.
Her short film Spotless (2022) explored the issue of period poverty and received major international recognition, winning the Crystal Bear at Berlinale Generation, the Cinekid Award for Best Short Film and the Grand Prix at Regard in Canada. All three of her shorts, Ma Mère et Moi, Spotless, and Under the Skin, premiered at the Berlinale, and her work has twice been awarded at the Young Director Award in Cannes.
Most recently, she received the Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions for A Piece of Me, a film about the risks of online shaming.
Branderhorst is currently developing her first feature-length film, a poignant exploration of grief and lost friendship.
Young people spend hours every day in group chats. That’s where friendships live now, but it’s also where exclusion quietly takes place. Being ignored or removed may seem minor, yet it can have a profound psychological impact. Research shows that more than half of young people have experienced online exclusion, and nearly one in four face it at least once a month.
Everyone Except grew out of that harsh reality. I wanted to tell this story from up close. Not by explaining the issue, but by letting the audience experience it. The film follows a single character, showing how what begins as group behaviour can slowly turn into isolation. There’s no big drama and no clear villain; just the discomfort of silence, and of people choosing not to step in.
We approached the film as a short work of fiction, with a lot of attention to character, dialogue, and subtle shifts in behaviour.
