About

Pronounced Yosha Dook — not Juicy Duck — Joosje Duk is a screenwriter, director and actress. She wrote and directed the successful short film NIGHT, which won the HuffPost Arts Impact Award, was selected for over 25 film festivals, gained over 900k views online and was invited to screen at Disney’s studios. The film stars Rachel Hilson (NBC’s THIS IS US and HULU’s LOVE, VICTOR) and was made as Joosje’s thesis film at NYU.

Joosje’s short film THIN ICE (GLAD IJS), won the ShortsTV Pitch Award at the Netherlands Film Festival and screened at the Oscar-qualifying Hamptons and Atlanta Film Festival. In collaboration with Dutch network VPRO, Joosje wrote and directed her first pilot, GAPPIES. This led her to direct her first 8-episode web series, #FITGIRLS. In 2020, Joosje wrote and directed the comedy web series ALMOST STARRING (EDELFIGURANT), starring Frank Lammers, Hannah Hoekstra and Loes Schnepper, all Golden Calf-winning actors (Dutch Oscars).

In February 2021, Joosje was selected by Netflix for their New Voices script contest, where she is writing her first Dutch feature screenplay, an anti-rom com about female sexuality. Joosje was one of the 15 selected screenwriters out of over 550 applicants. Joosje is also working on her non-fiction debut, IK ZIE JE BIJ DE UITGANG, an ICU diary she wrote for her father about his battle with covid. The book will be released by Lebowski Publishers in early September

In the US, Joosje is in development of her first English-language feature film, SUNSHOWERS, a whimsical story exploring mental health issues through the eyes of a young woman who loses her sight of color.

Joosje aims to create socially conscious content through a colorful lens. Aside from filmmaking, she’s also a camera acting teacher, having taught students at the Codarts and Fontys performing arts schools. She enjoys modern art, running across the Williamsburg Bridge, wearing colorful sweaters and eating chocolate. To be able to work on both continents, Joosje travels between New York and The Netherlands.

Background

Joosje grew up in The Netherlands where she began acting at a young age. At fifteen, she got cast as lead character Mirjam in the successful children's television series SNUF DE HOND (SNUF THE DOG).

At seventeen, Joosje moved to NYC to study at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. There, she majored in Filmmaking, Acting & Journalism. During her time at NYU, Joosje created the video series MINUTE WITH A MODEL for Marie Claire Magazine and portrayed the role of Johanna Bennemin in Dutch feature film PUBLIEKE WERKEN (A NOBLE INTENTION), directed by Joram Lürsen. In her junior year, Joosje wrote, directed and starred in her first short film HEAVY FEATHERS. As an actress, Joosje made her US television debut in the tv special WET SHAPES on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim channel.