Dutch Open

From 14-04-2005 until 17-04-2005


International Festival for Dutch Film and Video Art

Dutch Open is a new phenomenon in The Netherlands. For four days Dutch Open will offer the unique possibility of experiencing a program packed with the latest Dutch films and videos. It is unique because it provides a complete overview of the film and video art that is pushing back the boundaries, this time not hidden away on side programs in out-of-the-way theatres, but in the full glare of the spotlights!

Dutch film and video art has undergone important developments in recent years. A new generation of film and video makers who are extremely productive have come of age. The walls between film, video and new media are being demolished by a number of initiatives that put the work of these artists on the map and seek to bring it to a wide public. The Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo/Time Based Arts, the Filmbank and the Research and Development Committee of the Dutch Film Fund have therefore made plans to cooperate more closely with one another. The first result of this is the Dutch Open.

Following open submissions by Dutch film and video makers, and foreign makers whose work was produced in The Netherlands, works were selected to be shown in the various auditoriums in De Balie. Along with these program selections, however, all the submissions will be freely available in a mediatheque. Thus no one has to miss out on anything.

But there is more.... Filmstad, from The Hague, is presenting the premieres of Filmblikken 2005, and Utrecht's Impakt festival is presenting a stunning highlights program. And alongside the Dutch harvest, foreign distributors will also be presenting programs: the latest short films and videos from Britain (programmed by Lux, London), France (Lightcone, Paris), Belgium (Argos, Brussels), Austria (Sixpackfilm, Vienna) and Poland (Wro centre for media art, Wroclaw).

Overview of program components:
- Dutch Open: the latest groundbreaking Dutch film and video art, presented in six auditorium programs and a complete survey in the mediatheque;
- O&O Harvest 2004-2005: a survey of all the films supported by the Research and Development Committee of the Dutch Film Fund;
- Impakt Highlights 2004: a stunning program from the previous Impakt Festival in Utrecht;
- Filmblikken 2005: the latest Filmblikken, produced by the Filmstad Foundation, The Hague;
- Argos presents new Belgian video art;
- Lightcone presents new French film and video art;
- Lux presents new British film and video art;
- Sixpackfilm presents new Austrian film and video art;
- Wro centre presents new Polish film and video art.

The complete, detailed program will be announced mid-March.

Seminar and expert meetings
Supplementing the festival with its screenings and open mediatheque, there will be a seminar and expert meetings dealing with new techniques and their potential for the distribution of video art. In the seminar prominent speakers will illuminate the present state of affairs, and on the basis of case studies Dutch and international artists, researchers and cultural institutions will present their activities to the public. This material will be examined more deeply during the expert meetings. Among other subjects to be addressed are distribution practice (traditional and cutting edge), new initiatives and new techniques, and the use of open source, creative commons and copyright.


Ticket sales
Beginning April 1, telephone reservations can be made for the video and film screenings through the booking office of De Balie, 31 (0)20 553 5100.

Admission
Dutch Open € 7,- (€ 5,- with discount) per screening
Passepartout Dutch Open (excluding seminar and expertmeetings) € 30,- (€ 22,50 with discount)
Seminar: € 50,-
Expert meetings € 12,50

Press Accreditation:
Press cards are issued to people who meet certain criteria. If you are associated with a newspaper, a magazine or other media that report on art in general and/or media art in particular, you are eligible to receive a press card. If necessary we will contact you for further information regarding your application.
Contact press: Marieke Istha, communication, Netherlands Media Art Institute istha@nimk.nl

Information
info@dutchopen.org
020 623 7101

Staff
Programming: Joke Ballintijn, Peter van Hoof, Theus Zwakhals
Production direction: Arianne van der Veen
Publicity: Marieke Istha

Dutch Open is being made possible by financial support from the Netherlands Film Fund, Amsterdam Art Fund, Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo/Time Based Arts and Holland Film.

Dutch Open is organized by the Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo/Time Based Arts and the Filmbank in collaboration with the Research and Development Committee of the Netherlands Film Fund.