The Universe of Jaap Pieters

Directed by

Barbara den Uyl

Jaap Pieters passionately takes photographs and films, mainly on Super8, of the world around him: vagabonds, drunkards, striking incidence of light, the beauty of decay. In this way he has built up an oeuvre that is appreciated by a small group of film lovers all over the world. In his house, he keeps thousands of negatives and films that have never been developed due to chronic lack of money. He also collects anything in which he sees a glimmer, such as bags of sugar from restaurants where he once had ice cream with his parents, books, records, CDs, vases, glasses, be they broken or not. His girlfriend, with whom he has tried in vain to live together for 26 years, comes to helping create some order in the chaos. With his favourite uncle, the poet H.H. ter Balkt, he reminisces. ‘Two autists together’, but above all Jaap continues to film: now elderly men with whom he feels some bond.