Child of the Commune / Communekind

CHILD OF THE COMMUNE is a documentary film of director Maroesja Perizonius (32) about her personal experiences as a child in the movement of the Indian guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. As a six-year old girl, Maroesja followed her mother’s example and became a follower of Bhagwan. From that moment on, she had the Indian name, Ma Prem Chandra (‘moon of love’), she wore a string of beads and dressed in red. Seven years later, her mother decided to sell her house and her belongings and move with Maroesja to the Amsterdam Bhagwan commune, where 240 followers lived. Some time later, Maroesja was separated from her mother. She went to a children’s commune in England. In the film, Maroesja asks her mother how she looks back on that period and if she is aware that her daughter has not had a normal childhood.

Details

Country of Production
The Netherlands

Year of Production
2004

Format
Digi Beta Pal

Length
50 min

Director
Maroesja Perizonius

Production
Lemming Film commissioned by the NCRV and co-produced by YLE Teema

Original Language
Dutch

Subtitles
English, French

Festivals / Awards

IDFA 2004
DOK Leipzig 2005
MediMed 2005
Dutch FF Utrecht 2005 (Prize of the City of Utrecht for Best Debut)
Thessaloniki IDF 2006