International film award for documentary ‘On the road to the Máxima Center’

The KRO-NCRV documentary ‘On the road to the Máxima Center’ has won an important international film award. Kalien Blonden and Sandra Meijer created the documentary, which follows three children with neuroblastoma while also showing how the new Princess Máxima Center was built.

‘On the road to the Máxima Center’ received an Award of Excellence in the Impact DOCS Awards Competition in the Documentary Feature category. Kalien Blonden looks back on the production process.

Intensive process

‘It was a very intensive process. You invest your heart and soul for a long time, and then suddenly it is finished and you move on to other projects. When we received this award, it brought back the feeling of how special it was and how unique it is that we were able to follow a hospital like this. It is a moment to reflect on how the hospital came to be. After the announcement, I called all the parents and asked how they and their children are doing now. Two of the children are doing well. Almost a year later, they are still free of disease. One of them has gained a baby brother, the other is doing well in school and working toward a B swimming certificate. One of the children in the documentary passed away shortly after the broadcast, at just 13 years old. That is very sad, but his mother draws strength from the images of her son in the documentary and is grateful that attention is being given to it again.’

A lot has changed

‘The documentary was filmed before the center opened. Since I was last here, during the move-in period, a lot has changed. It is now a beautiful hospital where everyone is doing what they are meant to do. It is also remarkable to hear from Rob Pieters that clear results of combining care and research are already visible. And Rob is just as passionate as he was when we first met him in 2013. He is already looking ahead, asking how things can be improved even further.’