For his "cinematographic image of the Dutch Indies from 1912-1933," Dutch documentary filmmaker Vincent Monnikendam wade himself through more than 260,000 metres of 35mm archive nitrate film material, mainly recorded without sound at the time. The final selection of footage served as the source for the subjects and shots for this unique documentary that, delivered last year, also forms the ultimate celebration of the centinary of the film medium.

In a 89-minute span, Moeder Dao, de schildpadgelijkende (Mother Dao, the Turtlelike) aims to to show how The Netherlands administered their colony, how the country viewed its colony as a colonial enterprise and what the relationship was like at the time.

Instead of the usual voice-over commenting on the images showed, the director opted for a soundtrack consisting of songs and poems, incorporated in a digital sound composition.

Moeder Dao, de schildpadgelijkende (Mother Dao, the Turtlelike) is an absolute must for lovers of creative documentaries, as well as for those interested in colonial and social history.

Peter Poelgeest

Prod co: NPS-TV

Prod: Rade Milecevic

Dir/Scr: Vincent Monnikendam

Ed: Albert Markus, Licky Zydower

Mus: Jan-Dries Groenedijk

Running time: 89mins

International sales: IAF/NFM

Screening: 27 June, 17.30, Praha

[Home ] [Content ] [The Sponsors ] [The Team ] [Comments ] [Help ]