Amsterdam via Amsterdam

Willem Barentsz sailed north and Cornelis de Houtman sailed south, and each left an island named Amsterdam on the map. Four centuries later, two filmmakers born in the city follow them to Spitsbergen and to the southern Indian Ocean. Between polar ice and sub-Antarctic wind, the Dutch capital comes into view as a triptych.

Note: A 40′ work in progress was shown in 1997; the film exists in 54′ and 80′ versions and was reissued in 2004.