A free-minded psychiatrist assists one of his patients with her suicide.

‘I'm Not Afraid’ is a moving documentary about loneliness, compassion and free will.

Synopsis

71 year-old psychiatrist Frederik Polak is in the final stages of preparing for the assisted suicide of his patient Mrs. L. After 15 years of trying to treat her mental illness, he’s come to the conclusion that helping her die is the only way to save her.
I’m Not Afraid follows the painfully intimate process of assisted suicide and the emotional toll it takes on both doctor and patient.

Mrs. L has been suffering from a severe anxiety disorder all her life. She spends her days alone and heavily medicated. 40 years of debilitating mental illness have isolated her completely, leaving her with no family or friends. Mrs. L’s lonely existence is in complete contrast to Frederik’s life which is packed full of friends, grandkids, birthday dinners and colleagues. Despite his life of privilege, Frederik digs deep in himself to find the empathy needed to help Mrs. L and see things from her point of view. But how does he cope with the idea of losing a person he’s known intimately for the last two decades?
I'm Not Afraid follows the painfully intimate process of physician-assisted suicide and the emotional toll such a journey takes on both doctor and patient. It is as much a story about a woman facing her death as a story about a doctor facing the hard reality that helping his patient die is the only way to end her suffering.

I’m Not Afraid celebrated its world premiere at the largest human rights film festival in the world, One World Prague on March 11, 2017

The North American premiere took place at Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival, Toronto in November 2017.

Further festival screenings include This Human World, Austria, November 2017 and DOCfeed, Netherlands in February 2018.

Credits

I'm Not Afraid

90' · Documentary · Netherlands
Language: Dutch/English · Subtitles: English

directed & edited by Fadi Hindash
produced by Marek Jancovic & Fadi Hindash
cinematography & sound Dawood Hilmandi & Fadi Hindash
music Niko Hafkenscheid
sound design Bouk Bouwmeester
color grading Barend Onneweer
realized with the support of Netherlands Film Fund · NVVE · VSB Fonds · Amsterdam Fund for the Arts
Crowdfunded via CineCrowd.com
production The Sound of Applause
world sales Cat&Docs

Recent news

Dutch premiere of I’m Not Afraid at DOCfeed Eindhoven

We’re very happy to announce the Dutch premiere of I’m Not Afraid […]

Austrian premiere of I’m Not Afraid at This Human World

We’re delighted to announce an upcoming screening of I’m Not Afraid at […]

I’m Not Afraid: North American premiere at Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival, Toronto

We’re happy to announce that the North American premiere of I’m Not […]

Contact

International Sales:  CAT&Docs

Acquisitions & Sales
Catherine Le Clef
cat@catndocs.com

TV Sales
Aleksandra Derewienko
aleksandra@catndocs.com

Festivals
Maelle Guenegues
maelle@catndocs.com

Production: The Sound of Applause
Marek Jancovic
marek@thesoundofapplause.com