Louis van Gasteren

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Louis van Gasteren
Louis van Gasteren
Born	November 20, 1922 (1922-11-20) (age 85) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Occupation	Film director

Louis Alphonse van Gasteren (Amsterdam, November 20, 1922) is a Dutch director and documentary filmmaker. He is the son of the actor Louis van Gasteren Sr. and the singer Elise Menagé Challa.

[edit] Biography

Originally trained as an electrician, van Gasteren became a sound engineer on the advice of the Brazilion-born director Alberto Cavalcanti. He trained as a sound-effects man at Épernay Studios in Paris and began working for the Polygoon newsreel company in Haarlem, Netherlands in 1940. He made his directorial debut with Theo van Haren Noman in 1952. In 1983 van Gasteren won the Dutch Film Critics Award for best documentary as well as the Golden Calf for best picture for Hans: het leven voor de dood (Hans Living for Death). He received the Golden Calf a second time in 1993 for his short documentary The Price of Survival. Both films deal with the effects of the The Holocaust on the families of survivors. [1]

[edit] Selected filmography

1961 - Alle vogels hebben nesten (All Birds Have Nests) - Documentary about housing construction solutions after World War II. 25 min.
1962 - Het huis (The House) - Short film concerning a house which is demolished at the same time it is built, conceived by intercutting two time periods. The later time period is set during World War II, with Louis van Gasteren himself playing the Nazi officer who takes possession of the house and orders its destruction. No dialogue. 32 min.
1963 - Mayday - Documentary about the successes and failures of rescues at sea, 20 min
1964 - Er is telefoon voor u (There's a Phone-call for You) - Documentary about the effects of the telephone in the Netherlands. 46 min
1964 - Jazz and Poetry - 14 min
1965 - Out of My Skull - Early Dutch experimental film, made during a stay as visiting professor at Harvard University. 15 min.
1968 - Report from Biafra - Documentary concerning the war in Biafra. 50 min.
1971 - Report from Europe - Film concerning the structure of the European community
1973 - On ne sait pas - Portrait of a French country woman. 13 min
1974 - Multinationals - Documentary concerning the role of multinational ventures
1975 - Do You Get It? - Second of a series concerning perception and interpretation. Louis analyzes film footage of a policeman directing traffic and construction workers with shovels who try to make themselves immortal by their actions when they notice the presence of the camera. 13 minus
1976 - Salude e libertade - History and culture of Sardinia. 52 min.
1980 - Wirbula flow forms - Film concerning the water art of John Wilks. 10 min.
1983 - Hans Het Leven voor de dood (Hans Living For Death) - Concerning the children of the Nazis who fled to the Netherlands after World War II, the film backtracks over the events leading up to the suicide of Hans van Sweeden in 1963. Won Golden Calf and Dutch Critics Award in 1983. Black and white. 155 min.
1989 - Een zaak van niveau (A Matter of Level) - Golden Camera Award Chicago, Sony Video Award, Film Prize from Amsterdam fund for art, Special Commendation Prix Futura Berlijn. 56 min.
1994 - Why Do Pigeons Home? - 30 min.
1997 - Beyond Words - Interview with Indian guru Meher Baba, shot in 1967. Only professional color 35mm film ever shot of Meher Baba. 30 min.
2002 - In een Japanse stroomversnelling - film concerning the role of Dutch engineers in Japan in the 19th century. 85 min.
2003 - De prijs van overleven (The Price of Survival) - 56 min.