‘The Debit Card’ Director Hoped Oscar-Qualifying Short Could Expose ‘System’ of Overworked Au Pairs

TheWrap Screening Series: “They are being kept from their family, didn’t get to see their own family and getting paid really badly,” says Thijs Bouman, whose film was joined by “Madeleine,” “Neighbour Abdi” and “The Barber of Little Rock”

Jason Clark

December 8, 2023 @ 4:03 PM

In a chat with TheWrap’s Steve Pond, Executive Editor, Awards, for TheWrap Screening Series, four shorts filmmakers discussed their crop of wide-ranging, Oscar-qualifying films that they hope will create a splash in a burgeoning emergence of short films, a category known for not only launching bold new voices (Andrea Arnold, Martin McDonagh) but also validating the ambitions of well-established performers (Riz Ahmed, Christine Lahti, Peter Capaldi) looking to stretch.

First on deck was director Thijs Bouman, whose 19-minute short “De Pinpas (The Debit Card)” chronicles a Polish au pair feeling entrusted with the debit card PIN code provided by the family who employs her.

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