Parents often say that children “grow up too soon,” so one father made a commitment to remember each day with his daughter.
And remember he did! Dutch filmmaker Frans Hofmeester began filming his daughter Lotte just a few seconds a week, starting as a newborn and continuing into her 20s.
Watch the video:
The father filmed his daughter’s photo every week until she was 20 years old. 📸
— Tansu Yegen (@TansuYegen) August 7, 2023
People found the video surprisingly emotional, even though they don’t know Hofmeester or Lotte personally. In fact, seeing someone’s entire childhood through time is touching, even if we don’t have children. We’ve all experienced the process of growing up ourselves, we all have a wealth of memories from our formative years, and we all know how fast it all goes.
Those of us with children see our own children in this video, which is even more amazing than seeing ourselves.
“I wanted to document the growing process and create an art project that we could all enjoy forever,” Hofmeester shared in another video. He has also created the same type of video for his son, Vince. In an article in The Guardian, Hofmeester explained why he decided to take up the project:
“When Lotte was born, he was changing so fast, and I was desperate to keep the memories intact. As any parent knows, the difference between a two-day-old and a two-month-old is amazing. When Vince was born, so was I I started filming it. Maybe other people would make a photo book, but I decided to film. This is the most photographed and filmed generation ever, but what are we really doing with these pictures? They just sit in a file on the computer I wanted to try to convey the essence of my children, of how they see me. We don’t often look at the photographs we take, not in the same way an artist would look at his paintings.”
Lotte is now 22 years old, and Hofmeester shared an annual version of her growth compilation just a few months ago. In this one, we can see her every birthday, saying a few words (in Dutch, of course). It’s amazing to see the differences from year to year.
“One of the reasons the project has had such an impact, I think, is because it’s so moving,” Hofmeester wrote. “It touches people because it conveys a feeling of the soul. They have written to me about their own children. The film makes you realize what life is, in a direct way.”
Imagine being able to see your entire childhood documented in this way, or having a record of your children’s growing years that were so eventful. What a beautiful gift this father and filmmaker has created for his children, and for the rest of us as well.
What an amazing project!
I think many parents intend to do something like this, but usually don’t.
Kudos to Hofmeester for his dedication!
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