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Glass
IDFA 2013

Glass

Glas
Bert Haanstra
Netherlands
1958
10 min
n.a.
Festival history
In the glassworks of Leerdam, glass objects are made both by hand and with the help of machines. The glassblowers work according to traditional methods – driven by fantasy and craftsmanship, they skillfully shape their handiwork. In mechanical glass manufacturing, machines turn out series of glass products at a high speed. When Bert Haanstra was commissioned to make an industrial film about the glassworks, he soon realized that more could be made of this visibly invisible subject than a mere promotional film showing the industrial process from raw material to end product. On his own initiative, he decided to make a short artistic film. In , we see the art of glassblowing as a rhythmical play between hot glass and the precise timing of a craftsman. A complicated, dexterous ballet demonstrates the art of traditional glassblowing. This contrasts with the bigger glassworks, where everything is well-ordered. But things can go wrong there, too, and human hands are the ministering angels in the production process. In 1959, Haanstra received an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for the film.
Credits
Screening copy
    Beeld en Geluid
    Beeld en Geluid