These Powerful Films Are a Tender Call to Self-Check
What if knowing yourself, touching yourself, and speaking became an act of prevention? This question lies at the heart of FEEL and TALK, two films directed by Dutch filmmaker Judith Veenendaal, represented in France by HENRY.
Produced by Bonkers United, SMUGGLER, and Division7, the two works form an intimate and universal diptych created as part of the global project CheckYourBreasts.today. Born from a personal story, the diagnosis of the director’s sister with breast cancer, the project turns fear into a collective act. FEEL and TALK remind us that a simple gesture or a shared word can save lives.
FEEL celebrates touch. Our hands, often rushed or distracted, become tools of attention and care. Through the lens of Noël Schoolderman, the film captures natural light, breath, and skin. The act of examination is no longer seen as a medical procedure, but as a moment of intimacy and self-awareness. TALK explores the power of words. Inspired by a real conversation between Judith’s sister and a friend she encouraged to see a doctor, the film shows that speaking up is already a form of protection. With minimal and sincere direction, Judith turns silence into a space for solidarity. Beyond the films, CheckYourBreasts.today is a global platform dedicated to information and prevention. Its goal is to guide women through self-examination with clarity, using tutorials, monthly reminders, visual diagrams, and medical advice. Created independently, without sponsors or institutions, the website embraces a free and emotional approach to health, where creativity becomes a means of awareness. The two films share an aesthetic of softness: slowed gestures, sensory textures, and organic light. The narrative, free of voiceover, follows the body’s rhythm, supported by a delicate sound design by Sauvage Sound Studios. Every detail is crafted to create a rare sense of closeness between viewer and image.
“What began as a moment of fear and fragility became an act of creation, a collective call for awareness, tenderness, and self-connection.” said Judith Veenendaal, director.
