Press

Here's what they're saying

“This kaleidoscopic mosaic of archival images miraculously weaves a narrative that unfolds a tale of amour fou sliding into abysmal hatred.

A mesmerizing cinematic collage that pays tribute to the power of imagery, mirroring the perpetual flow of time.”
“I run out of words. What a formidable work.

All images collected invoke a vivid curiosity. WHEN FOREVER DIES is rich, engaging, magical... A Sisyphus work excavating cinema’s memory.”
“WHEN FOREVER DIES is not only a passionate love letter to the sublime shine, shrine and chiaroscuro shadows of cinema itself, it’s also thousands of metaphors cut into a single dynamic narrative.

Almost mythic in its ambition... There are sublime connections to be gleaned everywhere... Absolutely superb soundtrack... The film is firing on all cylinders when you have no idea what’s after the next cut.

Compellingly entertaining, at times laugh out-loud funny, arousing, scary and never less than stimulating.”
Epic... Extraordinary.
It has been an honor to be able to showcase this marvelous movie.

One of the world's best audiovisual experiences.”
Carlos Cruz Martínez
FISURA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
A 1000 films in one.

From a truck load of forgotten snippets spanning a century of film history, director Peet Gelderblom forged a new collage film filled with goosebump-enducing moments.

Very smartly composed… A timeless and universal romance, without spoken dialogue, confidently cruising on the power of montage... Fizzing with energy and creative pleasure, thanks in part to the inspired sound design and propulsive music by Gelderblom and others.”
Pure magic.

A spellbinding display of the Eye Filmmuseum archive makes WHEN FOREVER DIES an instant classic.”
Michael Ramos-Araizaga
ULTRACINEMA
“A wild mix of footage famous and unknown, live-action and animation, drama and documentary, black-and-white and color, old and n-- well, less old, silent and sound... Often bewildering and hypnotizing, and sometimes very, very funny.

All in all I was intrigued and entertained. And it does instill a terrifying truth that there is still so much footage, be it of classics or of obscurities in hidden vaults worldwide, that I haven't seen yet and maybe never will... ”
Unparalleled... Peet Gelderblom makes old film fragments sing again in WHEN FOREVER DIES, a dazzling supercut for which he drew from the Eye collection. Hopping from slapstick to serious drama to full-blown horror, the film is all over the place.”
“Gelderblom is a master of creative editing, bringing together Dutch peasant drama's from the '20s, commercials from the '60s, puppet animation and forgotten B-movies to tell one exhilarating, near-hallucinatory story.

An unforgettable cinematic trip!”
“This amazing film was our festival’s closing presencial event.

WHEN FOREVER DIES might be the most
universal human story I've ever seen.
“An idiosyncratic chain of new shot combinations, drawn from familiar classics and forgotten footage. Watching old fragments come alive on the big screen is impressive, especially when they enter into a dialogue in such a fluent, inventive way...

A cinephilic exploration of (imagined) love...
Absolutely worth your time and attention.”
“This virtuoso collage of film fragments from the vast Eye Filmmuseum archive is an epic ode to the classic film melodrama.

Gelderblom elevates the art of editing to a higher plane to forge a unique viewing experience.”
Chris Oosterom
IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL
“The compilation films by Nico Naldini, Peet Gelderblom and Bill Morrison (masters are not only from the past) demonstrate how cinema produces more cinema, but also how the art of reuse depends on an immense amount of research, selection and reconstruction.

Director Peet Gelderblom gifts a second life to orphan films, transforming archive material into something new and completely surprising...

Fantastico!
Gian Luca Farinelli
CINETECA DI BOLOGNA
“WHEN FOREVER DIES is not explicitly about dreams, but it is the most phantasmagorical of the films I saw at the Netherlands Film Festival.

Gelderblom molds a wealth of images in a refreshing shape, with an exhilarating soundtrack, an abundance of split-screens and editing tricks, and a cheeky sense of humor. He also doesn’t shy away from big themes.

Not only is WHEN FOREVER DIES kaleidoscopic, it’s a Rorschach test.”
“WHEN FOREVER DIES repurposes, and thereby revitalizes, a vast selection of material from aproximately 125 years of film history. Throughout his colorful juxtaposition, which is seemingly reverent and irreverent in the blink of an eye, Gelderblom crafts a tragicomic romance between shape-shifting characters.”
“Peet Gelderblom's film is one of the best examples of contemporary archival art practices. His excavation through thousands of films and masterful use of the art of montage recasts the magic inherent in old imagery and turns WHEN FOREVER DIES into a purely experiential journey into the history of cinema.

A testament to the potential that lies within the archive.”
Çağrı Alver
ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL
“An amazing movie. It’s so Technicolor, crazy, surreal, over-the-top, beautiful and different... it’s wonderful!”

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