L. R. Helmnrich Retrospective  

Against the backdrop of growing protests in opposition to the party of Indonesian dictator Suharto and the elections that will bring Megawati to power, “The Eye of the Day” follows the daily lives of Rumidjah, her family and their friends. In 1998 a deep political and economic crisis forced President Suharto to resign after 32 years in power. This was the beginning of the tumultuous period in Indonesia accompanied by protests, poverty and general insecurity. “The Eye of the Day” encompasses the life in Rumidjah's living room as well as the political confrontations in the streets of Jakarta and the nighttime labor of scavengers at a massive garbage dump. Helmrich's patient camera reveals the drama, and striking images, in each of these locations. While filming a demonstration in 1995, Helmrich was arrested and jailed as a suspected spy, then declared persona non grata. He was not able to return to Indonesia until 1997 — that same year he began following Rumidjah and her family with his camera.

Festivals and Awards

Dutch Academy Award Golden Image (2003) – Best Documentary
Visions du Réel International Documentary Film Festival, Switzerland (2002) – Audience Award
IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (2001) – Audience Award  
International Film Festival Split, Croatia (2002) – Audience Award

Leonard Retel Helmrich

Leonard Retel Helmrich is a Dutch cinematographer and filmmaker of Indonesian descent. He was born in 1959 in Tilburg after his family repatriated to the Netherlands. He graduated from the Dutch Film and Television Academy in 1986. Inspired by the French film critic André Bazin, he developed his own cinematic style “Single Shot Cinema” the essence of which is catching real life moments while they are happening in one continuous shot with a camera that is moving around the subject.
His trilogy consisting of films “Eye of the Day” (2001), “Shape of the Moon” (2004), and “Position Among the Stars” (2010) provides us with an insight into not only family dramas—gambling addictions, parent-child conflicts, money problems—but also global issues such as economic inequality, religious conflict, and the rise of modernity in traditional societies.
He has taught masterclasses in various film schools around the world. A number of festivals have celebrated a retrospective of his films.

Selected Filmography

The Phoenix Mystery / Het Phoenix mysterie (1990)
Moving Objects (1991)
Eye of the Day / De stand van de zon (2001)
Shape of the Moon / Stand van de maan (2004)
Position among the Stars / Stand van de Sterren (2010)
Raw Herring / Hollandse Nieuwe (2013)