The Work That Made Me: Sarah Blok
Sarah Blok graduated as a playwright from the BA writing for performance program in The Netherlands. Since then, she has been writing and directing plays, documentaries, and short fiction films. Her debut film, 'NOBU', won eight international prizes, and her film BABA premiered at IFFR and Clermont-Ferrand film festival, winning Best Film at the Aesthetica Film Festival.
Sarah’s work is observant, playful, and seeks intimacy in unexpected places. Through explorations of uncomfortable social dynamics, often related to race and class, she aims to capture the humorous complexities of contemporary society.
Based in London, Sarah recently completed her Master’s in directing fiction at the National Film and Television School. The films she made during this time earned her Amsterdam’s prestigious Next Step Award along with a €25,000 prize. Her short film, 'A Good Start', won the Silver Young Director Award at Cannes Lions. Her graduation film 'Trouble' was nominated for the 51st annual Student Academy Awards (Oscars) in 2024 and premiered at the London Film Festival (LFF) in October the same year.
Sarah is also the writer of an immersive theatre play called 'The Circle of Truth' - a trilogy inspired by three iconic novels ('The Master and Margarita', 'Doctor Faustus', and 'Frankenstein') which features collaboration with AI artists, visual artists, musicians, and dancers. She is currently developing a feature-length thriller set in Mexico in collaboration with the production company Good Chaos ('Triangle of Sadness').
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Sarah> The 2006 Skittles commercial with the opera singing rabbit- it’s unforgettable. I love how at first it makes so much sense to trade a bag of skittles for a singing rabbit and within 30 seconds, it’s just as obvious that you’d trade it right back. The way it’s shot and edited makes it even funnier.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Sarah> Spike Jonze’s Kenzo World commercial, where Margaret Qualley escapes a gala and launches into an exhilarating, borderline insane choreography through the hallways of an empty building—complete with lasers shooting out of her fingers. It’s a brilliant mix of extreme tastefulness and absurdity that subverts the tropes of traditional perfume ads.
LBB> The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…
Sarah> I have rewatched Paul Thomas Andersons’ 'Punch Drunk Love' many times. The music! So incredibly good. The world, so unique. It has this this ongoing, uneasy yet strangely funny tone that drives the story forward. It’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen.
LBB> My first professional project…
Sarah> I was the writer for a theatre play called 'Tutorial, the Art of Living'. We made it back in 2015, when vlogging was still a relatively new phenomenon. The play featured a vlogger with a YouTube channel all about horses. We created it out of curiosity about this digital platform (YouTube), which was pushing the borders of both narcissism but also of intimacy.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Sarah> I’ve seen too many coming-of-age films that romanticise poverty through the use of non-aesthetic aesthetics. I also really dislike irony in fashion films—the 'so ugly it’s pretty' approach—. It often masks a sense of superiority which annoys me.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…
Sarah> I wish I could have made 'Athena' by Romain Gavras. So extremely thrilling, like all of his work. I also love his music video 'Bad Girl' by M.I.A. It’s stylish and unforgettable.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Sarah> The first real short film I made, 'NOBU', was a turning point. It’s part of a trilogy about fathers who migrated to the Netherlands 40 years ago. My good friend Lisa Konno, a fashion designer, and I had many conversations about her dad, which led us to create a portrait of him through a fashion collection inspired by his life. This project marked the start of a 6-year collaboration that was not only incredibly rewarding but also so much fun to work on together. It deepened our friendship and opened many doors for us.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Sarah> My short film 'A Good Start'. I wrote and directed it, and of all the shorts I’ve made, I think this one suits the short form the best. It captures my love for intimacy in unexpected places, for exploring masculine fragility, and for telling stories that don’t rely on huge plot points but instead focus on small, emotional moments. Funnily enough, I’m now working on a thriller with quite a lot of plot points. I guess that’s the fun of directing—I love making the opposite of what I’ve done before.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Sarah> My cringiest ideas never actually get made, because there’s always a producer asking if I should reconsider what I’ve written.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Sarah> My most recent project was a short film I wrote and directed called 'Trouble'. It’s a family drama about two brothers navigating their parents’ shortcomings during an evening where the family is together for the first time after a painful divorce. The undercurrent of tension was a joy to explore during rehearsals with the actors, layering emotions into every scene. The film was nominated for a Student Academy Award, which was an incredible honour.
