Welcome to this SG Film Deep Dive page. Here you will find extensive background information about Olga, as well as links to other web pages that will provide you with a broader and deeper context about the film. Please browse and click around and enhance the movie experience you will have when you catch the film at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos.
Background information about the director:
Director Elie Grappe made several documentaries before making Olga. After working as a music and dance documentary maker, he decided to make a film about gymnasts. Like dancers, gymnasts follow a specific rhythm that resonates in the editing.
Olga is Grappe’s first fiction film, but it is set against the background of actual events and uses archival footages found on YouTube. Most of the young cast are real life gymnasts and not trained actors. All of this gives the film an authentic feel.
The film was made in 2021 before Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.
In a more recent interview, Grappe reflects on this situation:
GFF22: Olga Q&A with director Elie Grappe - YouTube
Check the following links for more reviews and information about the film (in Dutch):
- “ Waar in sportfilms het harde werk dat aan succes voorafgaat maar al te vaak wordt gevat in een enkele montagesequentie, brengt Olga dat moeiteloos en boeiend in beeld. Na afloop kan je bewondering voor de sport alleen maar gegroeid zijn.” De Volkskrant
- “Regisseur Elie Grappe legt een fascinerende relatie tussen topsport en journalistiek activisme: beide vergen engagement, doorzettingsvermogen, emotionele beheersing en moed om risico’s te nemen.” Eye Filmmuseum
If you are interested in learning more about the background and implications of the war in Ukraine, you can watch the video interview “Understanding the war in Ukraine”, which we held on March 29th 2022 with expert on Russian history prof. Hans van Koningsbrugge.
Some more useful links to podcasts and video lectures about the war in Ukraine can be found in the column “Broadening your view in times of war” written by Head of Studium Generale, Lucas Asselbergs.