Johan van der Keuken
Johan van der Keuken was born in Amsterdam in 1938. He began experimenting with photography at the age of twelve and published his first book of photographs in 1955, We Are 17. In 1956, he won a scholarship to IDHEC (Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques) in Paris. From then on, his career as a filmmaker and a photographer centered around the theme of the perception of reality. He has shot absolutely all of his work on film, which is an exception in the documentary world. He left us an engaged and universal body of work of about fifty films, including The Blind Child (1964), The Filmmaker's Holiday (1974), The Way South (1981), The Eye Above the Well (1988), Amsterdam Global Village (1996) and The Long Holiday (2000).
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Lucebert, Time and Farewell
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Johan van der Keuken has always been fascinated by the art of Lucebert (1924-1994), one of the most influential poets in Dutch literature and a visual artist. He dedicated three short films to him in 1962, 1967 and 1994. This triptych has been brought together in a single film, the last part of which was shot in Lucebert's studio shortly after his death.
Flat Jungle
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The Waddenzee, the Wetland Sea, is a unique natural region, a coastal area of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark which, depending on the tides, is sometimes sea, sometimes land. Johan van der Keuken films this "flat jungle", its fauna, flora and inhabitants whose lives have been disrupted by the economic, technical and industrial developments of the region.
Brass Unbound
Wind instruments set off from Europe on a victorious pilgrimage to all corners of the globe accompanied by representatives of the army, commerce and the church. They gradually conquered the most distant lands and captivated exotic nations. Based on a scientific study, the film uses musical instruments to capture the fusion of primitive and received cultures.
Last Words - My Sister Yoka
A personal portrait of Van der Keuken’s sister Joke, who died of cancer. Eight days before her death, the filmmaker and his wife had an openhearted conversation with her and filmed it. Two days before her death, a second shorter conversation followed. Van der Keuken also filmed Joke’s own surroundings: her house, garden, daughters and paintings.
Beppie
Beppie is ten years old. Coming from a working-class background, she is a real Amsterdam kid, funny and witty. Spontaneously, she recounts for several months her adventures to the filmmaker who follows her in her daily life. With complete freedom of approach, Johan van der Keuken simultaneously creates a portrait of the child... and of the city.
The Filmmaker's Holiday
A small village in the Aude region, its inhabitants, their joys, their sufferings and the camera of the filmmaker on vacation capturing these intermittent moments which, in the memory we keep, resemble happiness so strongly.
Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe
Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe
Subscription accessThe personality and talent of Ben Webster, the American saxophonist living in Amsterdam, have deeply marked the filmmaker Johan van der Keuken. A living legend of jazz and blues, he is a man of violence and gentleness, generosity and anguish. Filming the man's relationship with music, van der Keuken captures the hidden strength of the musician, who died six years later.
Face Value
In Face Value, everything revolves around the face and sight: the desire to be seen, the fear of being seen, the inability to see oneself, the fear and the desire to see others.
The Long Holiday
Octobre 1998, Johan van der Keuken apprend que son cancer de la prostate ne lui laisse que quelques années à vivre. Caméra à l’épaule, il part en compagnie de sa femme pour un dernier voyage, dont il fera son dernier film. De Noël 1998 à l’été 1999, il sillonne les pistes du Mali, les contreforts himalayens du Bhoutan, les aéroports américains... Partout, des êtres dans leur quotidien : le ritu...
Lucebert, Time and Farewell
Subscription access
Johan van der Keuken has always been fascinated by the art of Lucebert (1924-1994), one of the most influential poets in Dutch literature and a visual artist. He dedicated three short films to him in 1962, 1967 and 1994. This triptych has been brought together in a single film, the last part of which was shot in Lucebert's studio shortly after his death.
Flat Jungle
Subscription access
The Waddenzee, the Wetland Sea, is a unique natural region, a coastal area of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark which, depending on the tides, is sometimes sea, sometimes land. Johan van der Keuken films this "flat jungle", its fauna, flora and inhabitants whose lives have been disrupted by the economic, technical and industrial developments of the region.
Brass Unbound
Wind instruments set off from Europe on a victorious pilgrimage to all corners of the globe accompanied by representatives of the army, commerce and the church. They gradually conquered the most distant lands and captivated exotic nations. Based on a scientific study, the film uses musical instruments to capture the fusion of primitive and received cultures.
Last Words - My Sister Yoka
A personal portrait of Van der Keuken’s sister Joke, who died of cancer. Eight days before her death, the filmmaker and his wife had an openhearted conversation with her and filmed it. Two days before her death, a second shorter conversation followed. Van der Keuken also filmed Joke’s own surroundings: her house, garden, daughters and paintings.
Beppie
Beppie is ten years old. Coming from a working-class background, she is a real Amsterdam kid, funny and witty. Spontaneously, she recounts for several months her adventures to the filmmaker who follows her in her daily life. With complete freedom of approach, Johan van der Keuken simultaneously creates a portrait of the child... and of the city.
The Filmmaker's Holiday
A small village in the Aude region, its inhabitants, their joys, their sufferings and the camera of the filmmaker on vacation capturing these intermittent moments which, in the memory we keep, resemble happiness so strongly.
Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe
Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe
Subscription accessThe personality and talent of Ben Webster, the American saxophonist living in Amsterdam, have deeply marked the filmmaker Johan van der Keuken. A living legend of jazz and blues, he is a man of violence and gentleness, generosity and anguish. Filming the man's relationship with music, van der Keuken captures the hidden strength of the musician, who died six years later.
Face Value
In Face Value, everything revolves around the face and sight: the desire to be seen, the fear of being seen, the inability to see oneself, the fear and the desire to see others.
The Long Holiday
Octobre 1998, Johan van der Keuken apprend que son cancer de la prostate ne lui laisse que quelques années à vivre. Caméra à l’épaule, il part en compagnie de sa femme pour un dernier voyage, dont il fera son dernier film. De Noël 1998 à l’été 1999, il sillonne les pistes du Mali, les contreforts himalayens du Bhoutan, les aéroports américains... Partout, des êtres dans leur quotidien : le ritu...
