Empire
Category:
immersive
Partner:
Independent
Type:
Documentary, Television/Online, Installation, Interactive
The Unintended Consequences of Colonialism
A hidden synagogue in the mountains of Indonesia. A goldmine in Suriname run by the descendants of runaway slaves. A white supremacist enclave in the South African desert.
These are only a few of the communities brought to light in Empire, the Emmy-nominated immersive documentary project about the current day legacy of Dutch colonialism.
Shot in ten countries over four years, Empire uses nonfiction filmmaking and cutting-edge technology to reveal how the actions of a handful of 17th-century traders still shape our world today.
Concept
Use video installation and interactive web design to tell the stories of a diverse group of people around the world whose lives are still in some way defined by the Dutch colonial endeavour.
Roles
Project creators; directors; producers; editors; cinematographer; writers
Results
Empire’s installations have been exhibited on four continents at venues like Lincoln Center, REDCAT Los Angeles, Khoj Workshops, and Stevenson Cape Town. Its Emmy-nominated, Webby-honored interactive website was acquired for distribution by PBS’s long-running documentary series POV, and was recently inducted into IDFA DocLab’s Interactive Canon.
