LECTURE ZU JOHAN VAN DER KEUKEN VON HARTMUT BITOMSKY

In January this year, acclaimed Dutch filmmaker Johan van der Keuken passed away at the age of 63. The VIENNALE commemorates the distinguished director by presenting his piece North/South series, which consists of \"Dagboek\" (The Diary, 1972), \"Het witte kasteel\" (The White Castle, 1973) and \"De nieuwe ijstijd\" (The New Ice Age, 1974).

\"I made the film \"The Diary\" in 1971 and it was shown for the first time in March 1972. Since then it has grown into a cinematic triptych. I have approached each of the three films from an entirely different angle. What they share, however, is that they were all shot in various places across the globe, and that they all compare situations in rich industrial nations in the North with those in poor \"third\" world countries in the South. In my triptych, I have tried to capture some of the world's infinite differences in terms of living standards and historical developments, entwining them in one large emotional image. I have also attempted to unveil that these different worlds are closely interwoven, even if the people of these worlds may not be aware of it.\" (Johan van der Keuken)

In the course of this homage German filmmaker and critic Harmut Bitomsky (currently a professor at the \"California Institute of the Arts\") will hold a lecture on Johan van der Keuken's body of work.