2022 - A portrait of the musical journey of pianist Polo de Haas.

Duration: 70 minutes

Format: Digital

Color: Coulor

Language: Dutch

Documentary by Maartje Seyferth and Victor Nieuwenhuijs about the adventurous life of pianist Polo de Haas.

Polo de Haas is an unusual, versatile and also somewhat transverse pianist who can't be categorized in one single box. Hij plays both classical as contemporary and improvised music and initiated many crossover projects with theater, poetry and visual arts. He made furore with his performances of Canto Ostinato, as pianist in the first Shaffy Chantant, with his presentation of his tv-show Playing with Music and with his own concertserie in Beurs van Berlage and in the Royal Concertgebouw.

Filmmakers Maartje Seyferth and Victor Nieuwenhuijs followed him for three years and conducted a loving portrait that at the same time forms a time frame of the Dutch musical history. In the documentaries interviews and concert registrations with Polo de Haas are shown, as well as conversations with composer Theo Loevendie, drummer Pierre Courbois, Liesbeth Listh, Leoni Jansen, actress Hannah de Leeuwe, a rehearsal with Ramses Shaffy and Jazzen in the Amsterdam Zuiderbad. De Haas also recounts about his collaboration with bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay and with Peter Schat (STEIM). His own composition 'Improvisations and Harmonies' forms the main thread of the film. The piece starts with thumping, low basses and eventually moves to the highest register of the clavier. In august of 2020, De Haas recorded a CD with piano improvisations.

CAST

Polo de Haas

Ariëlle Vernède

Kees Wieringa

Hannes Minnaar

Matthias Havinga

Pierre Courbois

Interviews by Maartje Seyferth

CREW

Directed -  Maartje Seyferth & Victor Nieuwenhuijs

DOP - Victor Nieuwenhuijs, Maartje Seyferth, Tarek, July Janssen

Edit - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

Sound mixing -Floris Jonker

Thanks to: Polo de Haas, Ilona Verdurmen, Hannah de Leeuwe, Pierre Courbouis, Leoni Jansen, Theo Loevendie, Floris Guntenaar, Rob vna de Poel, Nico Bes, Pjotr & Colette, Colette Noël, Royal Concertgebouw, BIM Huis, Amstelkerk, Jamine Abbas, Jos de Haas & Friends, Ivo Niehe, AT5, VARA, AVRO, NOS, Martin van Duynhoven, Gaudeaumus, Breble Nijmegen

Produced by - Moskito Film, stichting Roer

The full documentary is available on: https://muziek247.nl/improvisations-and-harmonies-documentaire/

2018 - Sculptor Ewerdt Hilgemann combines 34 years of imploded works into a new 6 meters high work as a homage to César.

Duration: 14 minutes

Format: Digital

Color: Coulor

Language: Dutch

In 2018, Ewerdt Hilgemann combined 34 years of compressed works into a 6 metres high new work, called Compressed History (Homage to César)

CAST

Ewerdt Hilgemann

CREW

DOP - Victor Nieuwenhuijs, Maartje Seyferth, Gianni Hilgemann

Thanks to - Ewerdt and Antoinette Hilgemann, Verbeke Foundation (Geert Verbeke), Waasland Recycling

2017 - An autobiographical journey through the 50-year artistry of sculptor Pjotr Müller, uniquely told through his own comic strip illustrations, revealing his life, inspirations, and artistic legacy.

Duration: 21 minutes

Format: Video

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

A film about Pjotr Müller (1947) and his 50 years of artistry, reflecting on his career through an autobiographical comic strip drawn by himself. The illustrated story was originally very personal, intended for his dyslexic son Mo. Müller began by creating series of color prints of his artworks, which he then enhanced with black pen to include a drawn fictional environment. Gradually, a complete life story emerged, depicting his life as an artist, his motivations to become a sculptor, his relationships with family, his professional circle, his sources of inspiration, and, of course, his oeuvre to date. The comic strip format chosen by Pjotr Müller is unique for a sculptor to explain his work. The artworks are given a context and setting that would not be possible in reality. As an especially accessible medium, the comic strip is an ideal introduction to the complex world of the artist and provides a way to interpret his work for younger generations.

Watch the film

CAST

Pjotr Müller

Mo Müller

Colette Appeldoorn

CREW

Directed -  Maartje Seyferth & Victor Nieuwenhuijs

DOP - ictor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

Edit - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

Muziek - Simeon ten Holt - Canto Ostinato 

Tekst stripboek - Tonio van Vugt

This film was made possible by the support of

Kröller-Müller Museum

LINK 1

2011 - An audio/visual project based on the work of the artist Armando. It was streamed in Venice and shown via live stream to public spaces in capitals in Europe.

Duration: 

Format: 

Color: 

Language: 

2011 - A film about poetry and children reading poems.

Duration: 

Format: 

Color: 

Language: 

2008 - A portrait of composer Simeon ten Holt. 

Duration: 

Format: 

Color:

Language: 

2006 -  A symphony in sound and image. A film exploring the life and musical legacy of composer Jakob van Domselaer.

Jakob van Domselaer was a close friend of Piet Mondriaan during the beginning of the 20th century and was involved in the creating of the STIJL-movement. From 1913 to 1916 Van Domselaer composed the most extreme music for piano “Proeven van Stijlkunst” (Experiments for an artistic style). Victor Nieuwenhuijs (grandson of Jakob van Domselaer) and Maartje Seyferth draw an impressive image of an exceptional artist and his music and show people that knew him well.

From 1920 on Van Domselaer lived in the village of Bergen, in the north of Holland. He died there in 1960, unknown and isolated. In the film are interviews with composer Simeon ten Holt, who studied with Van Domselaer, internationally well-known artist and former son-in-law Constant, the composer Dick Raaijmakers, music journalist and critic Ernst Vermeulen, and others, and of course the pianist Kees Wieringa who plays a selection of Jakob van Domselaers work.

CAST

Simeon ten Holt

Constant Nieuwenhuijs

Dick Raaijmakers

Ernst Vermeulen

Kees Wieringa

CREW

Shot/edited/directed by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

Duration: 50 minutes

Format: Digital

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

2005 - An exploration of utopia, a vision of a world without borders of the painter and sculptor Constant.

Duration: 13 minutes

Format: Digital

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

This film, by Victor Nieuwenhuijs (son of Constant) and Maartje Seyferth, gives an impression of the experiences of the New Babylonians, the people living in Constants utopian vision on future society.

“They wander through the sectors of New Babylon seeking new experiences, as yet unknown ambiances. Without the passivity of tourists, but fully aware of the power they have to act upon the world, to transform it, recreate it. They dispose of a whole arsenal of technical implements for doing this, thanks to which they can make the desired changes without delay. Just like the painter, who with a mere handful of colors creates an infinite variety of forms, contrasts and styles, the New Babylonians can endlessly vary their environment, renew and vary it by using their technical implements.” (Constant Nieuwenhuys, 1974)

Constant (1920-2005) - Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys a.k.a. Constant was born in Amsterdam in 1920, where he also followed a fine arts education. In 1946, he meets Asger Jorn at an exhibition in Paris. This encounter becomes the start of the Dutch Experimental Group. In December 1947, Appel and Corneille get in touch with Constant after hearing about the Dutch Experimental Group. December 16th, 1947 the magazine Reflex of The Experimental Group Holland is founded by Constant, Corneille and Karel Appel.

November 8th 1948, the Cobra group is founded in Paris. Cobra is a partnership between the ‘Dutch Experimental Group’, the Danish ‘Høst group’ and the Belgian ‘Groupe Surréaliste Révolutionaire’. The name CoBrA is a derivative of the three cities where the groups originate from: Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam.

In 1958, after leaving the COBRA movement, Constant joined the Situationist International, which he left again in 1960. Around 1958, he abandoned painting to devote himself exclusively for eighteen years to New Babylon, a radical illustration of Guy Debord's “unitary urbanism”. His utopian planetary city project, anticipating the research of Yona Friedman and radical groups like Archigram, became a benchmark in the architectural imagination of the 20th century.

CREW

Shot/edited/directed by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

2001 - A film about trees, inspired by and including those painted by artist Armando.

Duration: 

Format:

Color:

Language:

2000 - A symphony of stone and glass of sculptor Bert van Loo.

Duration: 14 minutes

Format: Betacam

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

A film about the glass sculptures of Dutch artist Bert van Loo.

“The duality of glass is particularly appealing to me. Glass is soft and sensual when it is hot – once cooled, it becomes hard and sharp. At the same time it is vulnerable and fragile. I experience glass as a metaphysical material. It is there and it is not, it is solidified but still moving. It is translucent but closed” - Bert van Loo

CAST

Bert van Loo

CREW

Shot/directed and edited by - Maartje Seyferth & Victor Nieuwenhuijs

1999 - Celebrating the history of the Dutch Postal Service.

Duration: 

Format: 

Color:

Language: 

1999 - A journey through exile, a reflection on resilience of the artist Armando.

Duration: 35 minutes

Format: Betacam

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

Armando has lived in Berlin since 1979. Surrounded by the enemy, Armando felt at home there. But the enemy was also surrounded by an enemy again. Berlin back then was a West German luxury island in hostile East Germany. 

The film is a trip with Armando along the places where he lived in Berlin.

CAST

Armando

CREW

Shot edited and directed by -Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

1997 - A glimpse into the hidden corners of architecture and sculptures, a journey through urban landscapes.

Duration: 50 minutes

Format: 16mm

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

Town-planner Ashok Bhalotra has realized a dream, in which art had to be integrated in architecture and landscape. To realize his dream, Bhalotra seized a piece of land of the new district Kattenbroek, part of the historic town of Amersfoort in the Netherlands. He called this piece of land "Hidden Zone" The central theme of this project is the "Hypnerotomachia", a fifteenth century Italian allegoric tale, written by Francesco Colonna. In his dreams, in pursuit of true love, the monk Poliphilo discovers mysterious landscapes and constructions. He visits places where the strangeness is normal, what can be seen as an allegory on the course of life. This dream is the point of departure for the film, as well as for the 12 participating international artists. The dream according to the work of these artists will be the core of the film. In fact, it is the incorporation of this dream which helps the viewer understand the artistic process. The film is considered by Ashok Bhalotra as the thirteenth work of art of the "Hidden Zone". The realization of the works of art in the "Hidden Zone" took five years, from 1992 until 1997.

CAST

Kazuo Katase

Gust Romijn

Albert Goederond

Jacques Vieille

Alice Aycock

Thom Puckey

Daan van Golden

Hans van den Ban

Joseph Semah

David Veldhoen

Hans van Lunteren

Dodeigne

CREW

Directed by - Maartje Seyferth & Victor Nieuwenhuijs

Script by - Maartje Seyferth, Hans van Hechten

Director of photography - Victor Nieuwenhuijs

Sound - Hans Seyferth, Paul Mourus

Soundmix - Paul Mourus

Editor - Maartje Seyferth

Narrator - Gianni Castellana

Produced by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs, Moskito Film Amsterdam

Distributed by - Wildshot Pictures B.V.

Hidden Zone had its world premiere at the 1997 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

1995 - A happening by German/Dutch sculptor Ewerdt Hilgemann.

Duration:

Format:

Color: 

Language: 

CAST

Ewerdt Hilgemann

CREW

Shot, directed and edited by - Maartje Seyferth & Victor Nieuwenhuijs

1992 - A portrait of the artist Marijke de Goeij as a visionary, a symphony of space and illusion.

Duration:

Format: 

Color: 

Language:

The scenario of this documentary film about the monumental commissions Marijke de Goey has realised the last 5 years is built on three main lines. In a narratively interesting way we use the visual contrast between small and large scale works; as a contrast with the impressive static and abstract shots that can be made from the large-scale works, we use the humourous and dynamic aspects of small works like the jewelry she designed and the so-called “Cartoons”; and, to give an impression of the size and scale of the big sculptures, we mix throughout the film shots showing the assembly and the installation of the sculptures with shots showing the resulting images for the onlookers that move in the space around them (along railways and highways and huge buildings for example). I trust in this way we are able to show the specific integrity of Marijke de Goey’s oeuvre, as well in small as in large objects. The narrative line of the scenario as a whole, is focused on calling up for the viewer of the film the ultimate impression that Marijke de Goey does use a minimal visual language while, time and again, the illusion she creates with it is one of meaningful space. Her objects are no ornaments for the landscapes they are standing in, but they determine the character of each place. Each one of them eventually turns into a dynamic, comprehensive sign for its surroundings.

CAST 

Marijke de Goey

CREW

Directed by - Maartje Seyferth & Victor Nieuwenhuijs

Written by - Maartje Seyferth  & Cees de Boer

Director of photography - Victor Nieuwenhuijs

Lighting - Remco Bakker

Editor - Robert Jan Westdijk

Music - Kees Wieringa

Produced by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs / Moskito Film Ltd

1990 - A polymathic and poetic portrait, a celebration of the creative genius Armando.

Duration: 26 minutes

Format: 16mm

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

A portrait of Armando, world famous painter, writer and sculptor, and also a talented actor and musician. The film traces the roots of his inspiration, the conflict of the second world war. Juxtaposing Armando’s paintings and sculptures with slow motion of Wehrmacht soldiers crawling under barbed wire, the guilty landscapes of Nurnberg, South Germany and Holland. Armando reads his own poems and plays the violin.

CAST

Armando 

CREW

Directed by - Maartje Seyferth & Victor Nieuwenhuijs

Written by - Maartje Seyferth  

Director of photography - Victor Nieuwenhuijs

Editor - Robert Jan Westdijk

Music - Gipsy Orchestra - Tata Mirando & Armando  

Produced by -  Moskito Film - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

• 1990 - International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (competition) Dutch Film Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands
• 1991 - Festival Internationale du Film sur L’art, Montreal, Canada (competition) Asynchrom IV, Berlin, Germany
• 1992 - Biennale Internationale du Film sur L’art, Paris, France (competition)
• 1993 - Biennale Internationale du Film sur L’art, Lausanne, France (competition)
• 2006 - Festival Internationale du Film sur L’art, Montreal, Canada (retrospective of Dutch films on art)

1989 - A musical tribute to the river Maas, its waves, and currents.

Duration: minutes

Format: .mm

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

CAST

Auke de Vries

CREW

Shot, directed and edited by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs, Maartje Seyferth

1987 - A meditation on time by conceptual artist Barbara van Loon.

Duration: 50 minutes

Format: .mm

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

CAST

Barbara van Loon

1987 - A glimpse into the enigmatic world of art of Auke de Vries, a portrait of a sculpture.

Duration: 20 minutes

Format: 16mm

Color: Colour

Language: Dutch

In 1986, famous Dutch sculptor Auke de Vries designed a sculpture commissioned by the Dutch PTT, for a very special place: a narrow spot between the building of PTT and the tracks of the railway station in The Hague (Den Haag Hollands Spoor), the Netherlands. This documentary shows the building and putting together on the spot of this most interesting, balancing sculpture.

CAST

Auke de Vries

CREW 

Shot, directed and edited by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

1987 - A film about the renewed graphical design of the Dutch Postal Service in the Netherlands.

Duration: . minutes

Format: . mm

Color: .

Language: German

1986 - The celebration of an enormous sculpture hanging above the river Maas. A poetic ode to the craft of sculptor Auke de Vries. 

Duration:

Format: 

Color: 

Language: 

CAST

Auke de Vries

CREW

Shot and directed by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs

Edited by - Victor Nieuwenhuijs, Maartje Seyferth

Produced by - Plexus Produkties

1985 - A massive iron sculpture by Ewerdt Hilgemann implodes at the International Exhibition of Modern Art in Munich, Germany.

Duration:

Format: 

Color: 

Language: 

1985 - An immense iron cube that takes its shape through implosion. A visual journey through the mind of artist Ewerdt Hilgemann.

Duration:

Format: 

Color: 

Language: 

In 1984, German/Dutch artist Ewerdt Hilgemann performed one of his first “implosions”, sucking the air out of a large steel cube. This event took place during the “Sculptures at the Linge” exhibition in Acquoy, the Netherlands.

CAST

Ewerdt Hilgemann

CREW

Directors - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

Eddidting - Victor Nieuwenhuijs & Maartje Seyferth

Producer - Plexus Produkties

Dubbing mixer -  Wim Post

Sound effects -  Peter Lemmens

General assistance - Peter Soeurt

Thanks to -  Piet Cleveringa, NLF Loenen aan de Vecht, AGFA/GEVAERT (Maurice Okkersen), HAAGSCHE FILMSTICHTING