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Filmmaker Mei fa tan reflect on her experience working with Luxembourg Prince of Frederik Before his death at the age of 22.
“(He had) so much interest in so many subjects,” he said Tan Weekly US On Wednesday, March 12. “He would love to talk about anything basically. Mostly film and music … but his body would not allow him to do so much. So that was very painful to watch because he was trying his best. “
Frederik’s father, Prince Robertannounced that his son died following a battle with mitochondrial polg – a rare condition that causes organ failure and has no known healing – in a statement by Instagram on Saturday, March 8.
Prince Frederik of Luxembourg has died at the age of 22 after battling a rare illness. Prince Robert, the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg, announced the news of his son’s death via Instagram, as well as a blog post on the Polg Foundation website on Saturday, March 8. Frederick, born with Polg (…)
Frederik spent the final years of his life teaching people about the rare disease. With his parents, Robert and Julie, Frederik co-founded the Polg Foundation to support research into effective treatments and to help find healing.
Tan met with Frederik when she was commissioned to direct the short film of the foundation, Polg Foundation FilmReleased on September 4, 2024, for Mitochondrial Awareness Week.
Only spoke to Weekly US For getting to know Frederik, who starred in the film. Scroll down to read more about what Tan had to say about working with the late Royal.
On Prince Frederik meeting
Tan said she had several meetings with Frederik before writing the script for the film, which opens with the prince watching a concentration of videos from his childhood.
She said she wanted to convey “all the things she used to do that he could no longer be doing,” he learned about them from their many conversations.
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“I thought it was very, very sad, and I was very touched by this because this is not how life is supposed to go,” said Tan Us. “For Frederick, he started experiencing many things, and everything was taken from him, in an inevitable way. This was very damaging to me. “
“When you are a child, you have all these dreams, all these aspirations, these things you want to do. The possibilities are endless, ”said Frederik while vowing at the start of the film. “I’m not sure I understood all the polg results when I first diagnosed. It’s more subtle, where slowly, the world is getting smaller and smaller. “
Tan revealed it ‘painful’ watching the battle of Frederik
Despite the serious subject, Tan said the energy on a set was “very positive” and “light.”
“I think she was very brave of all the children who took part in the film because they really took her. But they also let their inner joy and spirit still be there, ”he added.
The film also included Emilia and Amelie, two siblings diagnosed with Polg. They lost their brother, Philip, to the same disease, in May 2023. He was 20 years old.
As for Frederik, Tan said she admired her strong sense of humor and passion for film and music.
“(He was) so interested in so many subjects,” he said. “He would love to talk about anything basically. Mostly film and music … but his body would not allow him to do so much. So that was very painful to watch because he was trying his best. “
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According to the director, there were times when the royal could not “even get up on its own,”
“That is, the situation is very serious, but he would always retain his dignity in every situation and retain his sense of humor,” he added.
She said until she was a “learning curve” to educate himself about Polg after Frederik’s mother, Julie, approached the production company she works with to help bring the film to life.
“In one sense, it was good because I was really able to put myself the site of someone who didn’t know anything about that disease, which would be true for most people to watch the film,” said Tan. “I think it’s a kind of lesson, you know. Sometimes you reconsider your life when you see people who have so bad, their days are counted, and they still find a way to be inspirational, to be positive and to do their best. “
Visit Polg Foundation website to learn more.
