How Judith Veenendaal encouraged audiences to Feel

This project was inspired, in part, by your sister’s experience. How did it begin, and what made you decide to turn it into a campaign?

My sister was diagnosed with cancer at just 33. That experience was a wake-up call and the reason this project came to life. 

One of the things that inspired me most was a message my sister received from a “stranger” she met at a festival. She had gone there to release some stress before an important scan and, while dancing, struck up a conversation with a woman and opened up about it. The woman said she had also felt something in her breast but assumed it was nothing. My sister urged her not to ignore it and to see a doctor.

Weeks later, that same woman tracked down my sister’s number and sent her a message to say thank you. She had followed the advice, gone to the doctor, and unfortunately been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was now starting treatment. The story moved me deeply. Just through connection, my sister may have saved a life.

Just through connection, my sister may have saved a life.

It strengthened my belief that we need to keep talking, because we really do have the power to move people to act. That’s how Talk was born. At the same time, I kept thinking about how breast checks still aren’t part of our daily habits. We use our hands every day, yet often forget to use them to check our own bodies. That led to Feel. 

I wanted to turn this experience into something meaningful, which is why I created checkyourbreasts.today – a place where people can watch the films and learn how to self-check, in the hope that it might help others.

Once you had the idea, what were the first creative steps in shaping Feel and Talk?

The piano became a central element in Feel, not just for its sound, but because it’s intrinsically linked to touch and hands. Finding the right sound and emotion was key. I explored a range of compositions, and when Rachel Tauwnaar (Ambassadors Berlin) introduced me to composer Daan Duijf, everything clicked into place. 

To connect both films, we used the same piano composition, reimagined in different ways. Talk naturally became Part II. What feels like a small fragment in Feel becomes a full story in Talk.

The Feel film shows a variety of intimate, life-affirming and everyday things we do with our hands. What was the process in building up that visual language?

I was drawn to the small, quiet moments – the ones that might seem ordinary or be taken for granted. 

What feels like a small fragment in Feel becomes a full story in Talk.

When cancer enters your life, those little things suddenly become precious. From there, the structure of Feel grew out of five simple, repetitive rituals: fragments of life where hands care, connect and create, not only functionally, but emotionally too.

Likewise, it has no dialogue, relying entirely on imagery. How did you approach the edit to create rhythm and emotion through montage?

The piano piece had to be the red thread; for me, it represents life. I didn’t want it to sound or look too perfect – the nervous hand and small mistake were real. Those imperfections, the repetition, interruption and silence all felt essential. 

Rhythm became everything. 

I wanted the viewer to feel the rhythm of daily life and then be jolted out of it the moment something feels off.

What were the biggest challenges in balancing the intimacy of Feel with the immediacy and urgency of the message?

The reality, unfortunately, doesn’t always come with a good ending. That was one of the biggest challenges: you want to move people, not frighten them. Cancer often begins as something small, almost invisible, so I felt the approach had to mirror that – subtle and honest, rather than loud or harrowing. It’s a scream in silence.

Cancer often begins as something small, almost invisible, so I felt the approach had to mirror that – subtle and honest, rather than loud or harrowing.

We also chose not to go with a typical commercial casting. Instead, I worked with friends and family to keep it as pure as possible.

The Talk film is told in a single, uninterrupted shot. What made you decide on that approach, and what challenges came with it?

I felt from the beginning that the voice and the words had to carry the story, uninterrupted. A single take felt right, almost like a memory unfolding. The challenge was getting the timing just right.