Page 61 - Studio International - November December 1975

freely. STOFF achieved Government support but has schoolkids flying over on holiday to sleep in the park and
recently closed down. smoke dope. But students here are organizing themselves
My own films move between the romantic and the into action-groups protesting against urban policy,
formal. From the Exterior, an impression of Dutch working for the Third World, Women's Liberation, anti-
windows by night (the Dutch never close their curtains), industrial pollution and so on. Over the last few years
is filmed at 8fps. The result is a colourful series of lamps, several political film groups have been formed and their
plants, people, TV sets and curtains. Another film is production is constant.
... And a table, in which the manipulation of film is Cineclub is the oldest. Founded in 1966, it is a film
group as well as a pressure-group and it has, amongst
other things, organized a protest against the
destruction of an old area in Amsterdam by involving the
people in the process of making a film of that area
(Jordaan-film). Cineclub is still very active, mostly as a
distribution centre for political films on almost every
topic, and internationally orientated. They organize
programmes all over the country and are often
underlining a political action. Kritiese Filmers ('Critical
Film-makers') were founded in 1968 and have been
making several long films about unemployment and
investment in poor Third World countries, housing
situations, workers' exploitation and organization —
often making real 'feature' films with actors and the like.
Just recently Het Activerend Volkstheater ('The
Activating People's Theatre') has split from the
Kritiese Filmers and their first film is about an
occupation by girls working in a factory. De Rode
Lantaarn ('Red Lantern') was founded in 1974 by a
number of students at the Sociological Institute in
Utrecht and they have been making a dramatized
documentary on working youth, a documentary on
housing situations and governmental policy, a film on
shop assistants and on agricultural problems. Het
Amsterdams Stadjournaal (1974) has been very active
lately, making films of around 30 minutes on speculation,
'private property and crime', industrial policy and
housing (a theme used by almost every film group) and
foreign workers.

Barbara Meter & Mattijn Seip Mental Institution 1974
All those film groups are collectives, except for Polkin,
which is Mattijn and myself. We founded Polkin in 1974
and have been the least active so far : Mattijn made a film
on a newly built area in Amsterdam ; together we made
two films on the rebellion inside mental health institutions;
with others we worked on a film about the link between
work and educational institutions such as schools, and I
made a film on housewives and their work. Individually
Barbara Meter Flash
Mattijn and I differ in approach, Mattijn being fully
tested by using different camera techniques, lighting and documentary (although recently he has begun to think
sound with almost the same images : a man and a woman of using a less conventional form) while I try to combine
sitting at a table having breakfast. This film was used a progressive form with political content. But we both —
lot to introduce discussions on avant-garde film in in contrast to the other groups — refuse to use drama in
lectures I gave. I am now making a film consisting of short film. I think we are greatly influenced by our
observations called Dutch Details. I have programmed involvement with avant-garde film — trying to treat film
avant-garde films for several years all over the country. as film, being as anti-illusionist as possible. In my
This, and STOFF, obviously did not stimulate many 'housewife' film I partially succeeded, and I hope to
people into making films themselves. STOFF is almost succeed even more in the film I am planning now (on
inactive now and has been for quite a time. women and their economic position). I believe that a
Mattijn Seip and I have turned to political films, combination of new art-film forms and political content
Mattijn Seip giving up experimental film altogether while is necessary ; that progressive art forms lead a lonely and
I am still trying. Political film-making is very much alive asocial existence if used as art-in-itself ; and that
in Holland at the moment. The time of contemplation and progressive political content can be reactionary if
mysticism is over, hippies have been reduced to American presented in a conventional form.
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