Kel O’Neill, Eline Jongsma | Netherlands/USA

World Premiere!

A hidden synagogue in the mountains of Indonesia. A Dutch-style village in the Sri Lankan rainforest. A white separatist enclave in the South African desert.  These are just a few of the communities brought to light in Empire, an immersive documentary project that examines the still-unfolding legacy of Dutch colonialism. Shot in ten countries over four years, Empire employs a broad range of storytelling techniques—including nonfiction filmmaking, multi- channel video projection, and experience design—to unearth the contemporary aftershocks of the world's first brush with global capitalism. 

<p>Empire's videos and installations will be on display throughout NYFF at several venues on the Lincoln Center campus including the Film Center, Walter Reade Theater, and Alice Tully Hall. Viewers are invited to chart their own course through the work, and to draw their own thematic connections as they go and then join Directors Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill for a discussion about the genesis of this one of a kind experiential documentary.

Empire Experience
Presented as a series of installations throughout NYFF’s venues, audiences are invited to chart their own course through the contemporary aftershocks of the world’s first brush with global capitalism. Free and open to the public! Check out the experience map.
Sat, Sep 28: 12:30pm – 4:00pm