This 12-minute long documentary is a student film made by myself, Salomé de Jong, Yanniek Klijn, Nick van Leeuwen and Elena Umbrove.

George Debels: Nederlandse Animatiepionier (George Debels: Dutch Animation Pioneer) is a portrait of the titular animator. Working in the 1920's and 30's, Debels was one of the first to produce animated films in the Netherlands. He made dozens of short animated advertisements, mostly by himself and with limited resources.

Combining animation with archival footage and interviews, in the documentary George Debels briefly comes back to live by climbing out of an inkwell. He reflects on his life and work, with input from film historian Mette Peters as well as his family.

Everyone had a part in the writing, filming, animating and editing of the film. It was part of a screening of Debels' films during Anima Festival (2022), Kaboom Animation Festival (2022), and Nederlands Silent Film Festival (2023). Currently it is part of the collection of EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam.