Please visit: lost-years.com

PRESS-RELEASE by AstraZeneca and Parnassia:

'Lost Years' premieres in The Hague:
Director with schizophrenia makes film about psychoses

The film Lost Years will premiere in The Hague on Tuesday, 13 April. Protagonist Bart is studying at the film academy when he suffers from his first psychosis. The film is an initiative from director Bas Labruyère, who suffers from the disease schizophrenia. The goal of the film is to demonstrate the devastating effects of a first psychosis on the lives of youths in 65 minutes.

Bart is studying at the film academy when fate strikes. The student suffers from his first psychosis, but refuses to get help, leading him into a negative spiral. Bart is played by Wouter de Jong, known from his role as Milan Verhagen in ‘Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden’. Other actors include Frederik de Groot, Timo Ottevanger, Mirja Romeyn and Sijtze van der Meer. The premiere will take place at 14:00 in Filmhuis Den Haag in The Hague.

The screenplay for the drama is based on the personal experiences of Bas Labruyère. The 35 year-old director suffers from the disease schizophrenia, and had to deal with psychoses himself. He only sought treatment in a psychiatric clinic after three years. After his recovery, he wrote a letter to share his experiences with family and friends. Encouraged by his psychiatrist Wim Veling, he decided to turn the letter into a movie.

Lost Years is the first film allowing the viewer to experience a psychosis through the eyes of someone who has lived it. The project has the support of the Hague Parnassia, psycho-medical care, and was made possible thanks to funding from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, Stroom Den Haag, the Nuts Ohra Fund and the Koningsheide Foundation. The parties involved in the film wish to draw attention to early signs of psychosis. The film is produced by JensenFrisbee in cooperation with Parnassia, and will be available for viewing on lost-years.com.

“We hope this film will open people’s eyes to potential signs of early psychosis, leading to earlier identification”, says Hans Sijbesma, AstraZeneca director. Parnassia CEO Ellen van Hummel: “The film was not only made for youths themselves, but also for their environment.” Labruyère wants the film to let the viewer experience what it is like to live with psychoses. “The film finally let people around me understand what it’s like to have a psychosis.”

Every year, 3000 Dutch youths develop a first psychosis. While it often seems unexpected, there are usually warning signals. Because these signals are often missed, their lives are already severely affected by the time they seek help. The earlier a psychosis or signs thereof are treated, the less impact it has, and the better the chances of recovery.