i just found this out. i had suspected as much since i hadn’t heard anything from nietzchka since late summer.

she was one, bonafide original, tremendous person. i loved her a lot.

condolences to all affected. -kyle

This past weekend, while in Madison, I learned that my most influential professor, and my friend, Nietzchka Keene, had passed away. I wish I would have known so that I could have been at her funeral, to pay my last respects to the woman who saw the most potential in me in this most trying field of film production. She gave me the confidence that I could pull off the most difficult roles without any preparation. She was and will be forever, a dear friend and a mentor. And I’m so very sorry that the world is without her presence. How very lucky we all were to have her in our lives. -Mayrav Newman ‘01

dopoulain@altern. org I met Neetschka in Iceland. In Reykjavik, she shared our life in a big, old house at the center of Reykjavik. Robert Guillemette was french, as I am, and became her friend, and The photographer for “The Juniper Tree” around all events hapenning as she looked for actors, places, inside and outside. My child was just beginnind to walk when she came back to Iceland, this time for shooting. She had already met Björk and all the actors… I did a lot of different things during this intimate adventure; On screen , I’m mentionned as art director, and for special effects… Strangely enough, to day, I remember most long evennings with Neetschka around simple meals, extremely…feminine discussions about eternal myths and life, a way Neetschka had to listen a lot, to let you guess , intuitively, what person she was, rather than telling you directly about her. She was extremely warm, and yet, secretive… She had a very strong sense of justice, and fairness, specially when she had to deal with money problems, very concerned that everybody should pe payed for his or her work, concerned at all costs that the film she worked on could be born, and achieved… and totally forgetful about herself… I remember so well some times we had the two of us, through wild icelandic nature, lost in the nowhere, and her ability to admire, sometimes enthousiastic, sometimes very silent….and then , all of a sudden, very, very funny mentionning some character she had just met, or some typical icelandic detail…
I remember how much she respected Björk’s motherhood (her son, Sindri, was only 3 months..) , and organised the schedule according to Sindri’s imperative need of both his mother…and immediate feeding!!

I loved her film at the end , when she came back to show it in Iceland…and I often mentionned it since, and this incredibly intimate, family like, humble, and perfectionnist adventure around film making I was lucky enough to experience then…thanks to Neetshka.

I am very sad today, and yet glad to read what has been written about her. .. A warm hello to Patrick, if he remembers me.