The Spanish Earth Brass Unbound

The Human Dutch series opens with innovative documentaries made over 50 years apart by two pioneering and committed filmmakers from the Netherlands, Joris Ivens and Johan van der Keuken.

Second feature start time: 8 pm. Both Joris Ivens and Johan van der Keuken traveled the globe in pursuit of their wide-ranging film projects. Ivens's The Spanish Earth provides a vivid frontline view of the Spanish Civil War, capturing a wrenching human tragedy as it unfolds. The film's commentary was narrated and cowritten by Ernest Hemingway. (Joris Ivens, 1937; 53 mins.)

Van der Keuken traveled from Ghana to Surinam to Nepal to Indonesia to film Brass Unbound, an infectious documentary about brass musical instruments taken up by the West's former global colonies. Van der Keuken's acclaimed The Body and the City installations were on view at the Wexner Center in 2001. (Johan van der Keuken, 1993; 106 mins.)

The Human Dutch was conceived by the UCLA Film and Television Archive and the Nederlands Filmmuseum in association with the Consulate General of the Netherlands, Los Angeles. The program is presented with the support of the Dutch Cultural Fund.


support credits

Season support provided by the Rohauer Collection Foundation and the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation.

Contemporary films, international films, and visiting filmmakers presented with support from the Ohio Arts Council.