Lydia Chagoll | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lydia Chagoll in 1979 at the presentation of:In naam van de Führer | |
| Born | Lydia Aldewereld (1931-06-16)16 June 1931 Voorburg, Netherlands |
| Died | 23 June 2020(2020-06-23) (aged 89) Overijse, Belgium |
| Occupations | writer, film director, dancer |
| Known for | In the Name of the Führer,Hirohito, emperor of Japan, a forgotten war criminal? |
Lydia Chagoll (16 June 1931 – 23 June 2020[1]) was a Dutch born dancer, choreographer, film director, screenwriter, writer and actress.
Lydia was born inVoorburg as Lydia Aldewereld from Jewish parents.[2] When she was young she moved to Brussels, Belgium.[3] DuringWorld War II the family fled, and ended up in aJapanese Internment Camp in Indonesia.[2] In 1942, she was held inTjideng[4] and transferred toGrogol[5] in August 1943.[6] She returned to Tjideng in August 1944.[4] Her novelsZes jaar en zes maanden (1981) (Six years and six months) andHirohito, keizer van Japan. Een vergeten oorlogsmisdadiger? (1988) (Hirohito, emperor of Japan, a forgotten war criminal?) dealt with that period. When the family returned to the Netherlands, they discovered that all their family members had been killed.[2]
In 1952, she took the stage name Lydia Chagoll, and took on Belgian nationality. Chagoll first graduated from theVrije Universiteit Brussel,[7] and continued her studies at École Superieure des Études Choréographiques (Higher school for choreography) in Paris and began to teach dancing.[2] She directed the 1977 documentary filmIn the Name of the Führer (In naam van de Führer), which received theAndré Cavens Award for Best Film given by theBelgian Film Critics Association (UCC).[3][8] In 1982, she directedVoor de glimlach van een kind (For the smile of a child) aboutchild abuse. She campaigned throughout Belgium and in 1983 founded SOS Enfants/SOS Kinderen.[2] In 2014, at the age of 83, she directedMa Bister about the persecution of theRomani.[7] She was awarded thePrijs voor de Democratie [nl] (Price for Democracy) forMa Bister.[9]
On 23 June 2020, Lydia died inOverijse, Belgium. She insisted that the death would be kept a secret until after her cremation.[10]
Media related toLydia Chagoll at Wikimedia Commons
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