Committed Film 3

Present-day fine art sees a revival of social commitment. The HAFF wants to initiate a discussion on this subject with a theme programme of committed animation films on various subjects via different media. The programme was set up with Gerrit van Dijk, who stood at the cradle of the HAFF and passed away in December 2012. The programme was initiated before his demise. He is a pioneer in this field, with a poetical film like Butterfly R.I.P. 1975 (1975), but also the more aggressive Jute films (1979).
Socially committed films are of all time and display a broad thematic palette, but also pre-eminently demonstrate the spirit of the times and have quite their own dynamics in storytelling. For example, animation film traditionally has strong ties with politics. Animation was frequently deployed to engage in politics, as a means of propaganda and also to express criticism. Animation provides an effective packaging. It can be concealing not to pose an immediate threat and entertaining to convey messages more easily. But also distinctly radical. In animation, filmmakers have everything in their own hands and with the Internet they have a hungry and potentially gigantic public within reach.

Showing in this program

His Mother’s Voice

Dennis Tupicoff
Australia, 1997
14 min.

It’s Good in Heaven

Peter Brouwer / Gerrit van Dijk
The Netherlands, 1971
6 min.

Johannesburg, 2nd Greatest City After Paris

William Kentridge
South Africa, 1989
8 min.

Jute: Love Power

Gerrit van Dijk
The Netherlands, 1979
4 min.

Jute: Queen

Gerrit van Dijk
The Netherlands, 1978
2 min.

Jute: Tale from a 1001 Murders

Gerrit van Dijk
The Netherlands, 1979
3 min.

Sportflesh

Gerrit van Dijk
The Netherlands, 1976
2 min.

Een foto van jongetje met een voetbal onder zijn arm – Van Dijks zoon – vloeit over in een aquarel en transformeert in verschillende sportgedaantes. Onder aanmoediging van een steeds fanatieker publiek muteert het jongetje tot een monsterlijke spierbundel.
A photograph of a youngster with a football under his arm – Van Dijk’s son – smoothly changes into an aquarelle and is transformed into various sports figures. Spurred on by an increasingly fanatical public the youngster mutates into a monstrous bundle of muscles.