Het Wonder Daaronder

Nina Landau Belgium 2025 17 min.

With the help of thousands of women, the microbiology lab at the University of Antwerp is going on a journey of discovery into the vagina: what microorganisms can be found there, what are they doing there and what can we learn from them? The social relevance of this pioneering work cannot be underestimated.

Het Wonder Daaronder is a musical science documentary that takes us on a journey into the vagina. The Isala Research Project, led by professor Sarah Lebeer, is researching a very under-researched topic: the vaginal microbiome. The team collects and examines more than 6,000 samples, soon becomes the largest study of the vaginal microbiome in the world and wins several awards. Het Wonder Daaronder is a collaboration between researcher Sarah Ahannach, who is part of the Isala project, from the University of Antwerp and filmmaker Nina Landau. Ahannach was one of the winners of the Science Pitch at DOCVILLE 2024, an initiative connecting researchers and filmmakers. The winner receives a production budget to transform their pitch into a documentary with a scientific theme that will be screened at the next festival edition.