Azart, Come Make Art | With Q&A

Captain August wanted to sail the VOC route, he said, but in a different way. "Not to steal and cut throats, but to play and share." In the meantime, stranded - literally - on a South American beach, where the wonderful story continues, under the leadership of a local theatre group.

Captain August: “Because the ship often sailed offshore and without subsidies or much money, few Amsterdammers are aware that Azart is the very last seagoing ship that sailed the world's oceans from the KNSM Java Island. Yes, that Azart has the meaning of the inspiration with which you risk everything, in short, of the same enthusiasm of the Amsterdam sailors to which Amsterdam owes its cosmopolitanism and the island its existence. Amsterdammers deserve to know that the square is named after this attitude to life. They deserve to know that their square is named after a history that is far from over, but is still being written daily by artists, residents and children on a distant beach on the Pacific Ocean.

AZART, COME MAKE ART
Bringing joy to the people has been the captain's main goal. As August himself says: 'I wanted to set up a ship of fools to sail around the world and sing the praises of folly'. Until 2020, the ship has visited hundreds of cities and brightened them up with theatre performances. After 33 years of free sailing, the ship is making a very last journey. On wheels, 150 metres along the beach of an Ecuadorian fishing village. 'The ship of fools' was on its way to Australia, but when the pandemic broke out and skipper August was diagnosed with a serious illness, the ship set course for a final berth. In the film, we follow August in his mission to give the ship a final destination. He visits old friends and family in the Netherlands and looks back on his travels. Because August always had filmmakers on board, we were able to create a colorful overview of the wonderful history of the theater ship. A ship that is a source of inspiration for so many and symbolizes the realization of dreams. The motto was: ‘Just do it. Come and make art’. For many, it turned out to be a springboard to a professional career in the art world.

The KNSM island was the permanent base of the Azart for many years. The ship of fools fulfilled such an important social role that in 1994 it was decided to name the place where the ship was usually moored the Azartplein. Captain August: ““You can’t be a fool to be able to run a Ship of Fools for thirty years. To reach your goal, you have to tack – that is, sail as high as possible against the wind and do so in a permanent zigzag movement. That is something like Finding Your Own Way Amidst Difficulties.

MASHA NOVIKOVA
"I lived and sailed on the ship in the 80s. I took everything seriously, all the problems and obstacles seemed dramatic to me. August taught me to see things differently. Lighter. Everything comes naturally, he often said. Nevertheless, I later made many documentaries that tell about war, dictatorships, misery and struggle. That was successful for my career, but pointless for society: the wars and misery have not disappeared. This film is my first comedy documentary, in which I like to sing about the lightness of being."

ANNIKE KALJOUW
"Since 2017 I have been following the ship with my film camera. In Cape Verde I saw how quickly August made contact with the local population and how the ship exerted a magnetic force on so many different people. August strikes a universal chord. It touched me to see how much joy and wonder the ship brought to everyone who came to visit it. And still: because it now lies proudly on an Ecuadorian beach and serves as a theatre. The ship that symbolises making dreams come true, connecting with the world around you and idiosyncratic adventure.”

PROGRAM
19:30   Film screening Azart, Come Make Art
20:55   Q&A with captain August