About The Backlot
The Backlot
In the middle of the last century big film companies like Universal and Disney bought large parts of the desert in California, where they could build their studios. On the kilometers’ big piece of land behind the studios huge sets were built outdoors. Those represented for example the streets of New York or a complete Wild West City was imitated. This fantasy land is called “the back lot”. Liberally translated as: the unbuilt land behind the studios.
Grown up in Suriname and with the knowledge acquired in Europe and the United States of America, Eddy Wijngaarde and
Hennah Draaibaar knew that Suriname is exceptionally suitable as tropical setting for films, because of the beauty
of its nature and the large variety of ethnic groups.
When Eddy Wijngaarde was making the film “The Old Man Who Read Love Stories” in 1999 he already thought it was a
great pity that the film could not be shot in Suriname due to lack of suitable facilities.
They were looking a long time for those and at last the film was shot in French Guyana.
But after all in 2001 a crew came to Suriname for the film “Paramaribo Papers”. Since there were still no facilities and trained people that had to be realized first. During the process of training people and making the film the idea for The Back Lot was born: train inspired people and offer the facilities needed, as a result of which it becomes interesting for foreign film makers to shoot their film in Suriname. A few months later the foundation was a fact.
Together with Hennah Draaibaar, who was also involved in “Paramaribo Papers”, a cautious start was made with the
constitution of a film culture in Suriname.
The first step was organizing a film festival to give the Surinamese people that “film feeling” again.
The remaining movie theaters had already been closed, because they could not compete with the growing amount of
television stations and the illegal trade in DVD’s.
Within a short period of time, in December 2002, the first International Documentary Film festival, IDFA Flies
T™ opics, was organized in association with International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
In April 2003 the International Film Festival, IFFR Flies Paramaribo followed, this time in cooperation with the
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Both festivals have increased in popularity after a number of editions
and are attracting a wide variety of public.
By building a theater-complex complete with shops and diners, this initiative is worked out further and going to the
movies will become a real outing experience.
During the festivals attention is also paid to education. Several workshops are held, at which film makers can acquire more experience for their job and those interested get familiar with film and television production. For students there is a students’ program, whereby they discuss a certain theme using films and specially developed educational material.
But The Back Lot does not only keep it to organizing film festivals and building a theater. The ultimate goal is to
contribute to constituting a complete film culture in Suriname. It must also become interesting to foreign film
makers to shoot their films in Suriname. A great advantage is that this results in employment.
By training people and offering facilities in association with several parties, Suriname can enjoy “own” productions
in the future.
Suriname as audio-visual center of the Caribbean.
A meeting place where film makers and film enthusiasts come together.
The Back Lot is eager to see that happen.