Alex van Dijck

Biography

Alex van Dijck was a painter and photographer. In 1897 he made two short films for the Nederlandsche Gist- and Spiritusfabriek, commissioned by general manager J.C. van Marken. While filming these movies, Van Dijck used camera that Van Marken had purchased from the French production company Gaumont. The films were developed in Paris, and then screened in the Nederlandsche Gist- and Spiritusfabriek’s clubhouse, called De Gemeenschap.

After these films, Van Dyck was no longer involved with cinema. In an article in the magazine ‘De Filmwereld’ (No. 38, 1918), Van Dijck claimed to have made the first Dutch film, although the oldest Dutch films were actually three films shot by the Amsterdam photographer M.H. Laddé. These were screened at the end of 1896 by the travelling cinema operator Christiaan Slieker.