The international documentary filmfestival in Lisbon, 'Doc Lisboa', presents a special programme on labour, called 'A Body of Work'. A rather neglected subject in mainstream cinema, because film was exactly ment to escape from the factory, from watching the world of labour and of workers. As part of this programme from 22 October to 3 November the film A Family, a Woman (1976) by Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan-Ivens is on-line available.
Read more: Doc Lisboa Film Festival presents 'A Family, a Woman'
75 years ago, on 17 August 1945, Indonesia declared its independence as a nation. In support of the young republic Joris Ivens filmed in October and November 1945 the boycot actions of maritime workers (the Black Armada) from various nationalities in the harbour of Sydney: Indonesia Calling. On August 26th 2020 the Indonesian ambassador opened in the National Maritime Museum of Australia, situated on Sydney's waterfront, an on-line exhibition about the relationship between Australia, Indonesia and The Netherlands.
Read more: 75 years of Indonesian Independence: On-line exhibition Black Armada
The son of documentary filmmaker Leo Hurwitz created a beautiful website about the films of his father. Most of his unique social documentaries are available on-line now and proof their current value. Joris Ivens used excerpts from Hurwitz’ films in at least four of his documentaries, like the wellknown and shocking ‘looting & shooting’ sequence of policemen against steelworkers on strike in 1993 in Ambridge. https://leohurwitz.com/
On Friday 7 February students at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf will see historical footage, films, documentaries and interviews, with among others Regen/Rain (Joris Ivens/Mannus Franken, 1929). Teacher and filmmaker Claudia von Alemann will show her own work and discuss the films of others. The Academy of visual arts at Düsseldorf was itself the filmset of 'Werk ohne Autor' (Never Look Away; Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2018).
On Thursday 16th of January H.E. Mrs. Ngo Thi Hoa, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, conferred the Order of Friendship posthumously to Joris Ivens. Mrs. Annemiek Nooteboom received the Friendship Medal on behalf of the Ivens-family. She gave the medal and certificate to the European Foundation Joris Ivens to keep and treasure it forever in the archives.
The Vietnamese government honors Joris Ivens posthumously by conferring the Friendship Medal. This award will be presented on Thursday afternoon 16th of January by H.E. Mrs. Ngo Thi Hoa, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at the embassy in The Hague. A family member of Joris Ivens, Annemiek Nooteboom, will receive the medal on behalf of the family.
On Friday 23 October a film crew of Chinese broadcasting (CCTV-9) shoot some footage in Nijmegen for a four-part series on Joris Ivens and China. Prof. Zhang Tong Dao from Beijing University Beida, teacher as well as filmmaker, is the director. Each episode will focus on one of the Chinese films Ivens made between 1938-1988. Dutch filmmaker René Seegers, who made Joris Ivens Old Friend of the Chinese People in 2008, assisted this film crew during the shooting.
Documents and photos from the collection of the Joris Ivens Archives in Nijmegen were filmed, as well as locations related to Joris Ivens, like the eight meter high sculpture at the Joris Ivensplace. By coincidence they got acces to the back garden in his parental house where young Joris Ivens once started to use the film camera. Also various specialists in The Netherlands and old collaborators who collaborated with Ivens were interviewed. The series must be broadcasted on television next year.
On 30 and 31 October a delegation from Quang Tri province (central Vietnam) visited the city of Nijmegen, at the invitation of the municipality of Nijmegen, The Economic Board and the European Foundation Joris Ivens. Ms. Ngo Thi Hoa, ambassador of Vietnam in The Hague, attended the meetings. In Quang Tri the Ben Hai River is situated on the 17th parallel, where Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan-Ivens in 1967 shot the long documentary Le 17e parallele. The delegation was headed by mr. Hoang Nam, the vice-president of the Peoples Committee of the province.
