IN PROGRESS! / Focus on Literature
New to the festival this year is IN PROGRESS!. For the first time, Doku.Arts will present previews of upcoming productions of documentaries on the arts that are currently in the making (see also presentations of work on Joris Ivens and Roy Andersson). With this programme we intend to create an inspiring environment for exchange between filmmakers, producers and commissioning editors, and to promote interesting new work.
In the framework of IN PROGRESS! we present three new Dutch documentary film projects. In this context the Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Fund will take care of a special program about literature as part of Doku.Arts: Focus on Literature.
Opening reception Focus on Literature on Thursday, June 5th, 4 p.m.
Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Fund, Herengracht 609, Amsterdam
The Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Fund organises a reception in honour of the first edition in Amsterdam of Doku.Arts. During the reception there will be occasion to view a screening of Hans Keller’s Dead Poets Almanac, a unique series of readings of poems by the authors, compiled from archives all over the world.
Seminar The Absence of the Writer on Friday, June 6th, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Fund, Herengracht 609, Amsterdam
Three Dutch directors from three different generations will introduce their subjects and show selected scenes from their existing footage. In the seminar The Absence of the Writer, commissioning editors from different countries will respond to the three case studies and talk about the past and future of literature on film and TV. The panel is moderated by the writer and director of the Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Fund Hans Maarten van den Brink. See webpage from Doku.Arts for update information about participants in the discussion.
Kees Fens, heir of an empty sky
Documentary about the life and work of literary critic and essayist Kees Fens (born 1929). The documentary is a spiritual travelogue with Kees Fens as guide, that visits the places in The Netherlands and Europe that were important to him during his life. An important theme is Fens’ identification with the 14th century Italian poet and humanist, Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) which can be traced back to the moment when Fens, at a young age, abandoned his plans of becoming a priest. Why is Fens so intrigued by his travelling companion, who after receiving minor orders, turned his back on the priesthood and followed his own path?