This is a true story. It's about the extraordinary friendship between a homeless girl and a Dutch student in New York city.

It’s 1998 when the Dutch graduate student Sander (then 23) moves to New York to participate in a film course at the NY Film Academy. By arrival, his attention is immediately drawn to a young, homeless girl who is begging on the streets for money. They start talking and this first encounter leads to a special friendship between them. This girl, Emily, even becomes the leading lady in his graduation filmproject.

Just before Sander returns to the Netherlands, Emily asks him to take her with him, away from her miserable homeless life in New York City. He doesn’t know what to answer and, knowing that he has nothing to offer her, puts off the conversation until later. Through a cruel twist of fate, Sander & Emily never meet anymore before he has to go back to Holland.

In 2008, a guilt ridden Sander travels back to New York to look for Emily, but she is nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile fourteen years have passed since they last saw each other. Dutch television program Memories is trying to help Sander to be reunited with his long lost friend Emily.

All Sander remembers about Emily is that she was 20 years old at the time (this would make her 33 or 34 today), lived on the streets since the age of 10, and originated from Canada. She was pan handling on Union Square at the time of their encounters.

Any information about (the whereabouts of) Emily are welcome.

For more information (including pictures and videos) visit Sander's website: lookingforemily

Hopefully he'll find out what has happened to her, good or bad. 

Makes you wonder how a child of 10 ends up on the streets, where was her family?

What a sad story!  Has he been looking for her all this time?

Hopefully he'll find out what has happened to her, good or bad. 

Makes you wonder how a child of 10 ends up on the streets, where was her family?


We're all rooting for a happy ending, of course, but odds are very much against Emily.

I don't know how she ended up on the streets. The story doesn't tell.


What a sad story!  Has he been looking for her all this time?


Sad indeed. Although it must be said that Sander is partly to blame (he admitted he was young and selfish at the time, and didn't have the guts to tell her he couldn't take her with him to The Netherlands).

As far as I know, Emily has always been on his mind, but as I understand it he's only been searching on and off (on the internet) until 2008, when he got the chance to revisit New York. That search came up empty, and I believe that's when he intensified his internet search.
Also in 2008, he found a photo of a homeless girl on the internet which he thinks could be Emily. This could mean she was still alive in 2008, but nothing is certain.

Even thinking of finding here could be risky business.  Too many people will now claim to be Emily.  It is a nice thought, but he may not like what he will find.

Even thinking of finding here could be risky business.  Too many people will now claim to be Emily.  It is a nice thought, but he may not like what he will find.


All claiming their 15 minutes of fame, that's what you say? I don't expect that to happen, but maybe I'm being naive. Of course, this could all change when (if) the search for Emily would get extensive media coverage in the US - but so far that hasn't happened.

Henk - I just shared this on facebook.
;)

Henk - I just shared this on facebook.
;)


You know I loves ya, right? :-*

You know I loves ya, right? :-*


Aww... now I feel all warm and fuzzy!! ;)

I have a lot of friends from the New York area on my facebook, so I figured if I put it out, someone is bound to share it, and then their friends might share it and so on. 8)