Experience with Stroomversneller: Wake up, New Vilirth! – A gripping dystopia and a valuable Stroomversneller

A city buried under sand

In *Wake up, New Vilirth! *, filmmaker and writer Lisa van Hees takes you to a dilapidated metropolis where every surface is covered with a layer of sand. What was once a bustling city is now a place where the rich and the poor lose themselves in the memories of others. Over the course of ten episodes, each introduced by radio clips, the listener meets a diverse cast of characters from this dystopian world. The result is an immersive story that moves between the elite and the underworld of The Underground.

The radio play is full of current issues: political corruption, climate change, and inequality. Together with filmmaker and photographer Iris-Sanne van der Aar—who, as director, transformed the project from a written script into a compelling audio experience—Lisa created a fully composed radio play, complete with a cast, music, and sound design.

Through our collaboration, we have learned not only to write the story, but also to transform it into a vivid, immersive experience. This process has helped us grow artistically and has given us insight into the power of sound and collaboration.

A chaotic, intense, and rewarding creative process

The production of *Wake up, New Vilirth!* turned out to be both a unique and hectic experience. After the script was finalized in March, a huge cast and crew headed to Lisa’s parents’ barn to film. The shoot was chaotic, but it was extremely satisfying to finally hear the lines come to life through the voices of talented actors.

Carrying out a project of this scale and quality required a great deal of perseverance. Despite setbacks, changes, and creative workarounds, the entire team looks back on the final result with pride.

Artistic Growth: Letting Go, Collaborating, and Entrepreneurship

For Lisa, this project presented several major challenges. One of the most important lessons was learning to have the courage to finish a script—something writers normally keep tweaking right up until the last minute. By actually “locking down” the work at some point and handing it over to others, she learned to trust both her own writing and the people she works with.

In addition, the project offered a crash course in marketing, production, and team management. Suddenly, she was leading a team of 25 people and had to think about clear communication and the impact of her decisions. The financial responsibility made her feel, for the first time, like a true entrepreneur running her own practice. All of this has given her new ideas about how she wants to shape her work in the future.

Experience with Stroomversneller

Lisa looks back on the process positively. She found the application process to be clear and straightforward. She also appreciated the extensive support provided to creators during the application process. De Stroomversneller her bring a project to life that she is immensely proud of—without any complaints or concerns about the process.

"Wake up, New Villirth!" is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube!

Or stay up to date via the "Wake Up, New Villirth!" channels below:
Website
Substack
Instagram

About Stroomversneller

Stroomversneller a grant program that supports new initiatives in their artistic development by giving them room to experiment. The goal is to help these initiatives gain momentum in an accessible way, without too many restrictions or obligations.

Click here for more information about Stroomversneller.