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June 29, 2024

Film Screening: "My Borrowed Heritage"
and Dance Party (Belmont, MA and online)

with Efie Derksen, Hans Derksen,
and the Flying Squirrel Orchestra

8:00 - 11:00pm ET

Payson Park Church
365 Belmont Street
Belmont, MA

Purchase admission for the Zoom presentation in the FAC Music Shop. If you need help with the link please email Katy at the office.

About the Program

The Folk Arts Center of New England is pleased beyond words to introduce Efie, Hans, and this film to American audiences via an in-person event in Belmont, Massachusetts, as well as online via Zoom on June 29.

Here is a link to the trailer for “My Borrowed Heritage” – enjoy!

About Efie

From an early age, Efie Derksen, who is from The Netherlands, has been surrounded by music and dances from the Balkans. Her dad made music, her mom danced. Through her travels to Bosnia and Serbia she fell in love with the folklore of these countries.

Efie is someone who undertakes many things. Her main occupation is as a nurse at Buurtzorg. But she is also a folk dance teacher, with Bosnian dances as her speciality. Most people outside the traditional dance and music worlds know the former Yugoslavia primarily from gruesome war stories. Efie has seen a different side: the rich folklore from this beautiful part of Europe. She wants to share this experience and her passion with the world.

At the same time she sees authentic traditions disappearing. She wonders: does folklore still have a place in this modern world?

With this question in mind she traveled with a small crew through Bosnia and Serbia to discover the stories behind the folklore. From traditionally dressed elderly people in the mountains, to dancing children in Belgrade … from an authentic flute-maker to a performer at the Eurovision Songfestival … what does the future hold for folklore from former Yugoslavia?

About the Crew

Efie made this documentary from her heart, with no prior experience in filmmaking. With the support of a team of talented people who believed in her dream, she was able to make this professional documentary.

One of those people who helped her is her own dad, Hans Derksen. He is a sound technician and recorded all the sounds of the documentary. In addition, he is a musician and plays primarily the accordion. Channeling the passion he has for Balkan music, he composed all the film music of this documentary.

Fenne van Loon, as a professional filmmaker and journalist, was Efie’s right hand creating this documentary. When she heard about the idea for this film, she was intrigued by the story and Efie's passion. Fenne guided Efie every step of the way, and wrote the script and directed the film.

The last phase of the whole adventure was the full editing. Wouter Habraken was the one who wanted to fulfill that job. He has a professional business in video-editing, and he contributed to the beautiful result.