Do I Smell Smoke?
is a playful exploration into what is on people’s minds on some of the hottest summer days in Rotterdam. Filmed spontaneously over three days, Toto Kersten, Lisette van Oostveen, Merijn van den Brand, and Xaver Könneker collaborated for the first time to engage in a series of interviews with strangers about the joys of their summer behind a backdrop of economic and societal crisis. The conversations range from small talk about holiday plans to anxieties around rising inflation, housing prices, and war to scattered reflections on spirituality, their love of Rotterdam, and the freedom summer promises.
is a playful exploration into what is on people’s minds on some of the hottest summer days in Rotterdam. Filmed spontaneously over three days, Toto Kersten, Lisette van Oostveen, Merijn van den Brand, and Xaver Könneker collaborated for the first time to engage in a series of interviews with strangers about the joys of their summer behind a backdrop of economic and societal crisis. The conversations range from small talk about holiday plans to anxieties around rising inflation, housing prices, and war to scattered reflections on spirituality, their love of Rotterdam, and the freedom summer promises.
Year: 2022
For my graduation project I collaborated with Keyvan Ghadimi (FR) and went to Brazil to make a documentary about a traditional fisherman family in the Amazon, who’s life is endangered by the construction of a large hydro electrical dam.
Now they are struggling to find there place between a ‘old’ and a new way of living.
Now they are struggling to find there place between a ‘old’ and a new way of living.
Toto Kersten & Keyvan Ghadimi
Water that birds don’t drink
Function: Director, scenario, cinematography
Year: 2018
Commissioned: Graduation Project, AKV. ST. Joost school of fine arts and design
Graduation Project
Language: Portuguese
Water that birds don’t drink
Function: Director, scenario, cinematography
Year: 2018
Commissioned: Graduation Project, AKV. ST. Joost school of fine arts and design
Graduation Project
Language: Portuguese
De Begonia Koning.
The Begonia King.
Camera work I did for a Documentary by Tom Hoefnagels about Kwekerij Hoefnagels a family affair begonia breed company, that has to close soon due to the expension of a urban housing project.
The film was selected and screened at Go Short 2023 in Nijmegen.
The Begonia King.
Camera work I did for a Documentary by Tom Hoefnagels about Kwekerij Hoefnagels a family affair begonia breed company, that has to close soon due to the expension of a urban housing project.
The film was selected and screened at Go Short 2023 in Nijmegen.
Year: 2022
Director: Tom Hoefnagels
D.O.P: Toto Kersten
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Director: Tom Hoefnagels
D.O.P: Toto Kersten
Cinematography/Photography showreel Toto Kersten
some snippets from different projects where I did cinematography ,
containing my Graduation Documentary ‘Water that birds don’t drink’, short fiction film ‘So I Stay’by Marieke de Zwaan.
some snippets from different projects where I did cinematography ,
containing my Graduation Documentary ‘Water that birds don’t drink’, short fiction film ‘So I Stay’by Marieke de Zwaan.
2018-now
Part of a Balcony series.
were I worked wtih the restriction to only capture images from my balcony with a tele-zoom and started observing the surrounding and found patterns in day to day life.
were I worked wtih the restriction to only capture images from my balcony with a tele-zoom and started observing the surrounding and found patterns in day to day life.
Toto Kersten
My sunny Balcony
Function: filmmaker
Year: 2016
Commissioned: School project
My sunny Balcony
Function: filmmaker
Year: 2016
Commissioned: School project
Commissioned (A)WAKE-
New Activism & New Radicalism
(A)WAKE is a new platform based at MONO at Rotterdam producing and hosting events to give stage to new voices that are on the intersection between Art, Politics and Activism.
New Activism & New Radicalism
(A)WAKE is a new platform based at MONO at Rotterdam producing and hosting events to give stage to new voices that are on the intersection between Art, Politics and Activism.
Toto Kersten
(A)WAKE
Function: Concept, Cinematography & Editing.
Year: 2019- 2021.
Commissioned: (A)WAKE
I made several videos varying from portrets of speakers/artists/curators to recaps of hosted events.
(A)WAKE
Function: Concept, Cinematography & Editing.
Year: 2019- 2021.
Commissioned: (A)WAKE
I made several videos varying from portrets of speakers/artists/curators to recaps of hosted events.
Commissioned Vlaggenparade & Merijn van den brand
Vlaggenparade highlights Rotterdammer’s connected to their background nationality/heritage in a mini-doc series.
Vlaggenparade highlights Rotterdammer’s connected to their background nationality/heritage in a mini-doc series.
Merijn van den Brand& Toto Kersten
Vlaggenparade
Function: Camera, Direction
Year: 2021
Vlaggenparade
Function: Camera, Direction
Year: 2021
Commissioned Cultuurnacht Breda.
Toto Kersten & Tom Hoefnagels
Cultuurnacht Breda
Function: Concept, production, Cinematography.
Year: 2018
Commissioned: Cultuurnacht Breda
Cultuurnacht Breda
Function: Concept, production, Cinematography.
Year: 2018
Commissioned: Cultuurnacht Breda
So I stay, a short movie about a Russian girl who got stuck with her car on a Dutch highway service area.
Some stills from a short film Jannus Doornhegge and me did the cinematography for .
In this project I worked with an Arri Alexa xt.
Update the film had won Best Dutch Film at Go Short Nijmegen in 2020!
Some stills from a short film Jannus Doornhegge and me did the cinematography for .
In this project I worked with an Arri Alexa xt.
Update the film had won Best Dutch Film at Go Short Nijmegen in 2020!
Toto Kersten
So I Stay
Function: D.O.P. / Cinematography
Year: 2019
Production: Rosanne Groenendijk
So I Stay
Function: D.O.P. / Cinematography
Year: 2019
Production: Rosanne Groenendijk
Landscapes and human performance.
