Sassenheim – ‘Flappie’ by Youp van ’t Hek. Who doesn’t know this heartbreaking Christmas song, about a little boy who finds out that his father sneakily slaughtered his favorite pet rabbit for Christmas dinner, right? Last December, the comedian once again told the tragicomic tale in the TV program Kopspijkers. Tzetzi Lazarov (19) saw it for the first time and was immediately sold: he had to and would turn the song into a film. The result that he showed Saturday at youth center Fascinus in Sassenheim in a modest preview, is impressive.

One day after the Kopspijkers broadcast, the first-year student of media and entertainment management (at the Haarlem College In Holland) began working. “That same evening I saw all the scenes in my mind,” he says. The next morning, he wrote the rough script and made a storyboard by drawing out every scene of ‘Flappie’.

Lazarov, who reached the national finals of the Kunstbende in 2002 and won the Gouden Rat for his first film ‘A Cat’s Tail’ — which he made while also baking pies — now wanted to aim higher with this art film. But this time, things didn’t go as smoothly. He had to take on more than he could handle. He even had to recruit professional actors himself, but quickly ran into problems — they either didn’t want to or demanded money. He ended up using friends and acquaintances. “I started by casting from my own circle of friends. I picked the best of the five and luckily, it all went well. The cool thing is, my mom is also in it and was perfect for the role of the mother.”

Lazarov comes from an artistic family. His father is a sculptor and painter and his mother is also good at creating beautiful drawings. His father acted in his third short film, the hilarious clip The Kin Show. Although he has already been rejected twice by the film academy, Tzetzi keeps going. He isn’t discouraged by setbacks. Even though he doesn’t attend the film school, he still pays rent for his own film room — including professional lighting, computer, camera, and a web connection. “I made my first films with an old computer and a webcam. Now I have a decent camera and a video camera with a good mic.”

To meet the requirements for his school project, he had to present the film using a beamer, not a monitor. A friend helped him out, just as agreed. Tzetzi, now hardened by experience, panicked for a moment, but quickly managed to regain his composure.

His ‘Flappie’ takes place in 1961 and is therefore shot in black-and-white. To that end, he gave the video a sepia tone to effectively create an authentic feel. Because he managed to frame the film as a school assignment, he didn’t have to worry too much about permits. But getting his five-minute long film noir, as he calls the piece himself, to turn out so well was a surprise — even Youp van ’t Hek is eager to see the result… “Do you know how I can get his phone number?”