Reinier Krol

Reinier Krol (born 26 February 1973) is an Australian author, screenwriter, director, producer and editor. Krol is best known for the popular young adult book series, The Firenight Saga. He has produced and directed a number of short films, documentaries and corporate videos and is the writer and director of the 2017 Australian feature film, Sometimes the Rain. He published his first full-length novel, Loch Ness (as Reinier J. Krol) in 2000, before focusing on writing, directing and producing for the screen.
Early life
Krol was born in 1973 in Haarlem, Netherlands as the son of Sonja (née Meijboom) and Jan Krol, a third-generation baker and son of the owner (also named Reinier Krol) of a prominent bakery, Bakkerij Krol, on the IJdijk in Spaarndam.
He grew up in Heemstede, Netherlands, where he attended the Nicolaas Beets School in his formative years. His family immigrated to Australia in 1982 when Krol was 9 years old, and moved into the middle-class suburb of Croydon, 30 km east of Melbourne.
Krol attended Croydon Secondary College, graduating in 1991, before commencing further film studies at UCLA and Open Channel.
The Firenight Saga
Krol published the first instalment of the young adult book series, The Firenight Saga, in August 2013. The novel generated both commendation and controversy for its accurate portrayal of depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation. It was praised for raising awareness in the community about those social issues.
Film and television
Between 1995 and 2000, Krol wrote, produced and directed 3 short films: Nowhere to Run, Hyde and Seek and The Coming Frost, before moving into the commercial sector with various contributions to TVCs for Brother Australia, Citylink and Canon Australia. He also wrote and directed a number of training videos and audio/visual material for the New South Wales (Australia) state government. Krol wrote the screenplay and is co-producing. Sometimes the Rain will be Krol’s directorial feature debut. It follows a self-harming student nurse with suicidal ideations as she becomes the full-time caregiver of a 25-year-old, self-assured prankster who, suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), has only six months to live.
Sometimes the Rain is a feature film with raising enduring awareness about ALS/MND at its core. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or more generally as Motor Neuron Disease (MND), affects thousands of people around the world each year. The average survival from onset to death is three to four years, with only 4% surviving longer than 10 years.
Krol has indicated that, in addition to raising awareness through local and international cinema exposure, 5 percent (5%) of all net profits received by the production company upon release of Sometimes the Rain will be donated amongst the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Australia and other appropriate ALS organisations worldwide to contribute to ultimately curing ALS throughout the world. Since then, Krol has been indefatigably passionate about raising awareness of the growing emotional struggles of young people, depression and teenage suicide prevention. Coming from a background of counseling young people, Krol has seen first-hand the emotional challenges young people face and the all-too-often path to self-destruction they choose. Krol uses The Redmill Foundation as a platform for raising awareness about these important social issues affecting young people today.
In August 2016, along with his business partner, Martin Cordero, Krol launched an online, viral campaign, called The Selfies for Life Campaign, to raise global awareness about teenage suicide prevention, raise much-needed funds to combat this epidemic and to provide a portal of hope for all those who may be feeling down, lost, afraid or alone, by creating a selfies wall with messages of inspiration, love and support from all around the world.
The idea behind the campaign is simple. People wanting to contribute to the campaign can take a selfie. For every person in the selfie, they are asked to donate $10 when it's uploaded to the website's dedicated Selfies Wall. Participants can take a selfie of just themselves or bring together as many people in the one selfie as they can. The campaign website also serves as a portal of contact information for those seeking hotline assistance and counselling contact information.<ref name="auto5"/>
As of September 2016, the campaign has raised over $50,000.<ref name="auto5"/>
Recurring themes
Krol’s storytelling has recurring themes and subtexts. These include primarily, strong female lead characters on hero journeys of self-discovery, self-harm, depression, suicidal ideation, self-worth, sacrifice at any cost and a strong romance subplot.<ref name="auto2"/> These themes are consistent with Krol’s passion for the contemporary social issues they represent and the importance of raising awareness within the community about them.

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