Director: Jos de Putter
Script: Jos de Putter
Photography: Vladas Naudzius
Editor: Stefan Kamp
Music: Vincent van Warmerdam
Sound: Tom d’Angremond
Producer: Frank van den Engel
Production: Zeppers Film & TV
Distribution: Zeppers Film & TV
Tel: 0031 206 758 594
Fax: 0031 206 793 929
E-Mail: zeppers@xs4all.nl
Selected Filmography Jos de Putter: Het is een schone dag geweest, 1993; Solo, de wet van de favela, 1994; The Making of a New Empire, 1999; Noch zijn ezel, 2000.
This touching portrait of a traditional Chechen children’s dance group takes us from the ruins of Grozny to the grand theatres of the West and back again. Jos de Putter (“The Making of a New Empire”) accompanies the children on a strenuous European tour with which they hope to prove that Chechnya is not a terrorist camp, but a cultural nation. He contrasts the pomp of the opera houses to great effect with images of destruction in the Chechen Republic. The most vivid, moving moments, however, are the dance scenes; radiant images which capture the young performer’s earnestness, dignity and pride.