Most of these films had been produced with a grant from the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Social Work (and its predecessor the Ministry of Education, Arts and Sciences). RVD handled the national and international distribution of the films.
The organisers - including producer and filmmaker Nico Crama - wanted the Day to raise awareness of short films and showcase the great diversity within the different genres: from commission to advertising and from scientific film to short feature film. In addition, organisations involved in screening or producing short films were offered opportunities to present themselves.
Day of the Short Film - The Hague, October 5, 1975
On 5 October 1975, the 'Day of the Short Film' was organised at the Hague Convention Centre. The initiative had come from the Government Information Service (RVD), which managed a large film library of short films.
Poster for the Dag van de korte film ('Day of the short film'), held on October 5, 1975.
Programme
More than ten screening rooms had been created in the Nederlands Congresgebouw in which programmes were shown continuously from one o'clock in the afternoon. The largest part of the programme was an overview of short films that had been produced with the support of the fund for Short Cultural and Artistic Films with films like De 1,2,3, rhapsodie, Ik kom wat later naar Madra, Body and Soul and Een zondag op het eiland van de Grande Jatte.
There was also a special focus on animation and experimental film with programmes by Holland Animation and Fugitive Cinema, and the various film schools, film clubs and broadcasters presented themselves. The Filmmuseum and the RVD showed historical reviews that included De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort, Dick Laan's Voetbal and Regen by Joris Ivens and Mannus Franken.
The event was a great success, attracting more than ten thousand visitors.
Kritische noot
There was less enthusiasm - or perhaps concern - among a number of experts. In a publication issued on the occasion of the Day, a large number of stakeholders - filmmakers, exhibitors, policymakers - were given the opportunity to make a short contribution on the short film. It could be concluded that the short film was in second place in mainstream cinema. Despite all good intentions and mutual agreements - the plan to show a fixed number of short films in cinemas every year dates back to the 1940s, for instance - the screening of short films was problematic and far too few short films found their way to the general public.
It should be noted that this was not just down to the exhibitors. If short film was to increase its popularity, it would also have to match the wishes and demands of a large audience. Too many filmmakers still saw the short film mainly as a learning experience or - in Paul Verhoeven's words - 'as a preparation for the long (feature) film'.
Outspokenly negative was producer Matthijs van Heijningen. He called producing or directing a short film "total nonsense". It was better to put energy and money into producing a long film. He argued that the existing running time limit (maximum 60 minutes) should be lifted so that cheap, long feature films could be made. In doing so, he referred to developments in West Germany. Casually, he did note that German filmmakers had something to say - which which was not the case with all their Dutch colleagues, according to van Heijningen.
A creative solution to the short film issue
Matthijs van Heijningen, meanwhile, had come up with his own solution to the short film issue. For Zwaarmoedige verhalen voor bij de centrale verwarming (Gloomy tales for by the central heating) - an episodic film based on the book by Heere Heeresma - he had applied for a subsidy for each episode separately; after which he forged the four parts together and brought them into circulation as a cinema film. This gave four still fairly unknown filmmakers Bas van der Lecq, Guido Pieters, Ernie Damen and Nouchka van Brakel - who had already made a name for herself with her short film Baby in de boom - the opportunity to work with an experienced cast and crew and reach a large audience with their films.
The critics were positive about the production and Nouchka van Brakel's epiosode Een winkelier keert niet weerom was especially praised. It would be the start of a long-term collaboration between Van Heijningen and Van Brakel that resulted in six feature-length fiction films.
A year after Zwaarmoedige verhalen voor bij de centrale verwarming, Van Heijningen came up with a sequel: Alle dagen feest. Again an episodic film; this time based on short stories by writer Remco Campert. Directors were Ate de Jong, Orlow Seunke, Paul de Lussanet and Otto Jongerius.
Once again, Van Heijningen's choice of young, unknown directors proved to be a right one, and for both Ate de Jong and Paul de Lussanet he would produce several feature films.
In this way, Van Heijningen managed to realise what was seen by practitioners like Paul Verhoeven and Wim Verstappen as the purpose of making short films: a learning experience and a first step towards producing and directing full-length feature films.
