Abel van Essen graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy with Welp, a dreamy stream of images that he deliberately conceived as a process piece. The film served as a prelude to Wolf, a larger project for which he secured funding with Welp. Van Essen worked with 16mm and digital imagery, with imperfection at the center. For him, image takes precedence over story: emotion is the guiding principle, not narrative clarity. Welp explores stereotypical masculinity by seeking tension between vulnerability and physical strength. Van Essen describes himself as a director of emotion and consciously chooses fiction because it offers him creative freedom. Welp can be seen at the Netherlands Film Festival.