Vastgelegd

An 8mm home movie from his childhood gave Allard Faas the idea to start collecting amateur films about his native town Soest. For this purpose, he established the Bewegend Beeld foundation and gathered more than fifty hours of footage. The montage of 8mm films presents an extraordinary impression of a world in the pre-video era. The makers give their comment to the scenes they shot, which are alternated with the director's reflections on the value of film. 'If filming was so expensive back then, the filmmakers must have been very selective and every image should be important', he muses. This puts the shots of a sports programme leader and of a man painting his window frames in an odd light. There are scarce images of the war years and the liberation, including the return of the royal family and Winston Churchill's visit. 'Actually, all films are a protest against the passing of the time', Faas concludes.