Film Yearbook 2020/2021

Editing: Hans Beerekamp, ​​Mariska Graveland (final editing and organization), Romy van Krieken (credits) | 298 pages

And 2020 started so beautifully… With cinema releases such as ‘Jojo Rabbit’ and ‘La belle époque’ on January 2 and ‘Honeyland’ and ‘1917’ a week later… We were secretly relieved pre-Covid-19 if there was a week less films came out, because the offer was very large (too much for us to keep up with reviewing anyway) and we saw with suspicion the number of released theatrical releases rise year after year, compared to 2019 the number of films the cinema came out with more than 25% would fall in 2020, that was of course not the intention…

However, when the thick Film Yearbook 2019/2020 came out, we already felt the mood and predicted that the new edition would probably be thinner. After all, because the Corona measures – in which there was sometimes really no logic to discover (cinemas open with limited opening, closed, limited open again, closed again…) there was simply fewer films to collect in the annual overview, it could not be otherwise. . And yes, the 2020/2021 Film Yearbook is a bit thinner than previous years, but since when does the size or thickness of anything matter?

The editors of the Film Yearbook have really done a fantastic job. The overview of what did come out in the weird film year 2020 (which is full of gems) is valuable as a reference work, because admit: there were so many other things that demanded your attention in 2020 that when you leaf through the overview you will find one after the other. the other rediscovery.

The six background articles range from fascinating to extremely interesting. In particular the article by Nico van den Berg about the influence of Covid-19 on the worldwide film and cinema industry; Gudo Tienhooven’s declaration of love to Christopher Nolan (whose ‘Tenet’ provided the extremely appropriate cover of the Film Yearbook) and André Waardenburg’s extensive piece about 75 years of Eye Filmmuseum are a feast for the eyes. But the article by Mark van den Tempel about the Geoffrey Donaldson Institute in Noord-Scharwoude is also very interesting, as is Leo Bankersen’s piece about the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. The love for film and film history is infectious and that is contagious.

It can’t be said often enough: if you count yourself among the film buffs and love to read about it, then purchase the new Film Yearbook. Support your local bookstore and order it there.