“Do I Smell Smoke?” 

2022
17:44 min

“Do I Smell Smoke?” is a playful exploration into what is on people’s minds on some of the hottest summer days in Rotterdam. Filmed spontaneously over three days, Toto Kersten, Lisette van Oostveen, Merijn van den Brand, and Xaver Könneker collaborated for the first time to engage in a series of interviews with strangers about the joys of their summer behind a backdrop of economic and societal crisis. The conversations range from small talk about holiday plans to anxieties around rising inflation, housing prices, and war to scattered reflections on spirituality, their love of Rotterdam, and the freedom summer promises.