Bert Haanstra
| Bert Haanstra | |
|---|---|
Haanstra in 1989
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| Born |
Albert Haanstra 31 May 1916 Holten, Netherlands |
| Died | 23 October 1997 (aged 81) Hilversum, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Photographer, cameraman, film director |
| Years active | 1948–1988 (film director) |
| Spouse(s) | Nita Wijtmans |
| Children | Rimko and Jurre |
| Website | www |
Albert 'Bert' Haanstra (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑlbərt bɛrt ˈɦaːnstraː]; 31 May 1916 – 23 October 1997) was a Dutch film director of films and documentaries. His documentary Glass (1958) won the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 1959. His feature film Fanfare (1958) was the most visited Dutch film at the time, and has since only been surpassed by Turkish Delight (1973).
Albert Haanstra was born on 31 May 1916 in Espelo, a small village near Holten, in the Netherlands. His father was Folkert Haanstra, a schoolteacher, and his mother Jansje Schuiveling. Haanstra grew up in the village of Goor. Haanstra's father retired early as a schoolteacher and started his life long dream of becoming a painter. Haanstra himself, after realizing teaching didn't interest him, became a painter himself and started experimenting with photography.
Haanstra became a professional Dutch documentary film maker in 1947. He won international acclaim with his short documentary Spiegel van Holland / Mirror of Holland, for which he received the Grand Prix du court métrage at the Cannes-festival of 1951. During the fifties he made six films for Shell, among others The Rival World (1955) on insects spreading deadly diseases and how to fight them. In 1958 his documentary Glass, a filming improvisation made in a glass factory, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.
He directed several fiction films. Fanfare, a comedy situated in a small Dutch village, is still the Netherlands' second most popular film ever (measured at the box office), only surpassed by Paul Verhoevens Turkish Delight. Abroad however, Fanfare was hardly noticed, but it was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and the 1st Moscow International Film Festival.
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