Klaudie Bartelink

In 2011, I applied for the Marina van Damme grant to enable me to professionally engage in the protection of oceans, particularly the North Sea. I used the grant to pursue a professional diving course and take some media academy courses. This eventually led to me becoming a professional diver and underwater filmmaker, which resulted in me becoming a film producer.
Together with my partner Peter van Rodijnen, we create underwater footage for our own productions and also on commission from others. We have worked on films such as ‘Holland, Nature in the Delta’, ‘Silence of Tides’, and ‘The Wild City’. A few years ago, we started a major media project with a team of 14 people to make the cinema film ‘The Wild North Sea‘, which will premiere in 2024. At the same time, we are producing a four-part TV series that will be broadcast by the EO in 2024.
The goal of our productions is to inspire people with wonder about nature close to home. Often, the stories and images lead to social discussions involving ministries, NGOs, companies, and citizens. This makes our work particularly meaningful in a world where nature, climate, and sustainability are receiving more attention, and that inspires and motivates me.