Simonka de Jong is an award-winning Dutch filmmaker, best known for her feature films, shorts, and documentaries. Born in 1979, de Jong grew up in Rotterdam, and began her career in the Netherlands, where she studied media at the University of Amsterdam.
In 2002, de Jong made her first short film, Lost and Found, which won numerous awards at film festivals around the world. This success was followed by her first feature, The Waiting Room, released in 2004. The Waiting Room has been widely acclaimed for its sensitive and authentic portrayal of marginalized asylum seekers.
In 2006, de Jong wrote and directed the documentary The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars, which explored the lives of people living in the red-light district of Amsterdam. The film won the Best Documentary Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and was screened at the United Nations.
De Jong's feature films, including The Red and the Blue (2008), Out of Sight (2011), and The Unforgotten (2015), have been praised for their nuanced and complex portrayals of real life issues. Her most recent feature, Nobody's Land (2019), is a coming-of-age drama set in the Netherlands and is currently in post-production.
In addition to her filmmaking career, de Jong has also worked as a lecturer and mentor, teaching classes on film production and working with aspiring filmmakers. She has also acted as a jury member at numerous film festivals, including the Berlin International and Rotterdam International Film Festivals.
De Jong's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam's Best Documentary Award, the Netherlands Film Festival's Best Feature Film Award, and the Netherlands Film Academy's Best Director Award.
De Jong is a highly respected filmmaker who has brought attention to important issues through her work. With her trademark sensitivity and skill, she continues to make meaningful films that tell stories of social injustice and human resilience.
