The long awaited book (in German) about Ivens and his East-German films, written by thé specialist in this field, Günter Jordan, has been published by the DEFA Foundation. This beautiful book describes in 680 pages the triumph in the 1950’s, the condemnation at the end of the 1960’s when Ivens became persona non grata in the GDR, until the resurrection of Ivens’ DEFA-films.
Read more: Impressive new book ‘Unknown Ivens’ by Günter Jordan published
On 21 February a multimedia concert by the young Cologne music ensemble Electronic ID will be performed in the framework of the controversial exhibition ‘Gurlitt: Status Report Nazi Art Theft’ including Ivens’Rain (1929) in the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn (Germany). The theme of the concert is ‘Inside Exiles’
Paul Wendorf, a graduate of Columbia University, fought for 19 months in the XVth International Brigade at the Jarama and Brunete front, before he was killed in action. His cousin found letters which proof that he was filmed for Ivens’ The Spanish Earth in April-May 1937.
Read more: Letters of Paul Wendorf Unique Testimony of The Spanish Earth
Chiara Bonfiglioli recently published her splendid book chapter about the DEFA filmproduction Die Windrose (1957, The Compass Rose) of which Joris Ivens was supervisor. ‘Die Windrose is a significant example of cross-border cooperation and provides important insights on the internationalists networks that developed after 1945 between Western-Europe, the Soviet Union and the Third World.’
Read more: Ivens' Compass Rose (1957) analyzed for its Gendered Imaginaries
Award winning Canadian documentary filmmaker Peter Davis presented his documentary Digging the Spanish Earth. Thanks to his interviews with Joris Ivens, Martha Gellhorn, Helen van Dongen and George Seldes, this film is of historical importance itself. Peter Davis also revisited locations in Madrid and Fuentedueña de Tajo where The Spanish Earth was shot in spring 1937.
The Afsluitdijk (Enclosure Dam), contructed between 1927 and 1933 is the 32 kilometer long dike which protects the Netherlands against water and flooding. Three designs of light and interaction ICOON AFSLUITDIJK developed by Daan Roosegaardeenhances its iconic status and will be opened for public on 17 November. Joris Ivens’ impressive footage about the construction of this dam will be part of the activities.
Read more: Ivens’film footage about the Enclosure Dam and Daan Roosegaarde’s design
Since six years Tian Wang (1976, Tongxiang 桐乡), is doing research for a dissertation about Joris Ivens and Modern China between 1938 and 1988. It was Régis Debray who advised her to study Ivens’ films in the framework of the theories of French historian Marc Ferro ‘Le film, l’agent et produit de l’Histoire’. For Tian Wang it is essential not only to study paper documents, but especially to meet and speak the people involved, both in China and the West.
Prof. Ariel Heryanto from Monash University in Melbourne lectured about Joris Ivens and Indonesia Calling in Djakarta. In his vivid presentation in Bahasa Indonesia (also a version with English subtitles is available) he discussed the tensed relationships between Indonesia, Australia and The Netherlands both back then and now. The opening sequence of Ivens' film showing an Australian society with diversity could be a model for their relationships. Since 22 October, when this film made by Jakarticus, was put on-line then thousands watched the film.
