filmography;
the films of Joris Ivens

The films mentioned below are listed in chronological order. It names all the films Joris Ivens directed, or in which production he had a major role. We have given the original title of the film and, if necessary, the current English and French titles. Every title will be linked to a page with a more detailed description of the film. Do you have questions concerning one or more films? Don't hesitate to send us an e-mail.

1910 - 1930 FAMILIE-FILMS IVENS
Home movies Ivens family / Films de famille Ivens:
- ZANDBAK, VAN BERCHENSTRAAT (originally without title)
Sand-box, van Berchenstraat / Bac à sable, van Berchenstraat
(2 minutes, b/w, silent, 35mm, circa 1910)
- 'T ZONHUIS
The Sunhouse / Maison du soleil
(6 minutes, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1921)
- O, ZONNELAND
Zonneland / Zonneland
(7 minutes, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1922)
- 'T ZONHUIS
The Sunhouse / Maison du soleil
(2 minutes, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1925)
- THEA'S MEERDERJARIGHEID ZONNELAND
Thea's age of majority, Zonneland / La majorité de Thea, Zonneland
(12 minutes, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1927)
- ZONNELAND
Zonneland / Zonneland
(circa 8 min, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1930)
1912 DE WIGWAM (Brandende Straal)
Wigwam (Shining Ray) / La Hutte (Flêche ardente)
(Holland, 8 minutes, black and white, silent, 35 mm)
1927 FILMEXPERIMENTEN
Film experiments / Expériments cinématographiques:
- PROEF-OPNAMEN CHARLOTTE KÖHLER
Test-shooting Charlotte Köhler / Prises provisoire Charlotte Köhler
(Holland, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1927, lost)
- DE ZIEKE STAD
The Sick Town / La ville malade
(with Erich Wichman; b/w, silent, 35mm, 1927, not realized)
- KINOSCHETSBOEK
Film Sketchbook / Album à dessin cinématographique
(Holland, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1927, lost)
- DIE STRAßE
The Street / La rue
(not finished, Holland, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1927, lost)
- ZEEDIJK FILMSTUDIE
Filmstudy Zeedijk / Études sur le Zeedijk
(Holland, 10 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, 1927, lost)
- DEMONSTRATIEFILMS MICROCAMERA,UNIVERSITEIT LEIDEN
Instruction films micro camera, University Leiden / Films d'instruction microcamera, Université Leiden
(Holland, b/w, silent, 35mm, 1927, lost)
1927 - ÉTUDES DES MOUVEMENTS
Studies in Movement
(Holland, 4 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1928 DE BRUG
The Bridge / Le pont
(Holland, 11 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1929 BRANDING
Breakers / Les Brisants
(Dir: Mannus Franken, Holland, 33 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1929 IK-FILM
I Film / Moi-film
(Holland, 10 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
1929 SCHAATSENRIJDEN
Ice Skating / Les patineurs
(Holland, 8 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
1929 ARM DRENTHE (DE NOOD IN DE DRENTSCHE VENEN)
Poor Drenthe (The Misery in the Peat-mores of Drenthe) / Pauvre Drenthe (La misère aux tourbières de Drenthe)
(Holland, 15 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
1929 REGEN
Rain / La pluie
(with Mannus Franken, Holland, 12 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1929 HEIEN
Pile Driving / Pilotis
(Holland, 10 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1930 WIJ BOUWEN
We Are Building / Nous batissons
(Holland, 110 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm) also as independent parts:
NVV-CONGRES
NVV Congress / Congrès du NVV
JEUGDDAG
Day of Youth / Journée de la jeunesse
NIEUWE ARCHITECTUUR
New Architecture / Nouvelle architecture
CAISSONBOUW
Caisson Building / Caissons armés de Rotterdam
AMSTERDAMSE JEUGDDAG
Amsterdam Day of Youth / Journée de la jeunesse à Amsterdam
ZUIDERZEEWERKEN
Zuiderzee Works / Zuiderzee
ZUID-LIMBURG
South Limburg / Sud Limbourg

1930
1930

VAN STRIJD, JEUGD EN ARBEID (tweede vakbondsfilm)
JEUGDDAG VIERHOUTEN
Day of Youth, Vierhouten / Journée de la jeunesse, Vierhouten
(Holland, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)

1930 ZUIDERZEE
Zuiderzee / Zuiderzee
(Holland 40 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1930 VVVC-JOURNAAL
VVVC News / Ciné-journal VVVC - 3 parts:
- VVVC-JOURNAAL
VVVC News / Ciné-journal VVVC
(Holland, 15 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
- NO. 1: FILMNOTITIES UIT DE SOVJET UNIE
Nr. 1: News from the Soviet Union / No. 1: Journal de l'Union soviétique
(Holland, 20 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
- NO. 2: DEMONSTRATIE VAN PROLETARISCHE SOLIDARITEIT
Nr. 2: Demonstration of Proletarian Solidarity / No. 2: Démonstration de solidarité prolétaire
(Holland, 20 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
1930 BREKEN EN BOUWEN (Tribune film)
Tribune Film / Tribune film
(Dir.: Mark Kolthoff; Holland 20 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
1931 DONOGOO-TONKA
(Holland b/w, silent, 35 mm, lost)
1931 PHILIPS RADIO
Philips Radio / Symphonie industrielle
(Holland, 36 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
1932 CREOSOOT
Creosote / Créosote
(with Jean Dréville; Holland, 80 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1932 PESN O GEROJACH (KOMSOMOL)
Komsomol, or Song of Heroes / Komsomol, ou Le chant des héros
(Russia, 50 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1933 NIEUWE GRONDEN
New Earth / Nouvelle terre
(Holland, 30 min, b/w, sou, 35mm)
1934 MISERE AU BORINAGE
Borinage
(with Henri Storck; Belgium, 34 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
1934 SAARABSTIMMUNG UND SOWJETUNION
Saar Referendum and Soviet Union / Référendum du Saar et Union soviétique
(with Gustav Regler; Soviet Union, b/w, sou, 35mm, lost)
1936 BORZY (KÄMPFER)
The Fighter / Le Lutteur
(Dir.: Gustav von Wangenheim; Soviet Union, b/w, sou, 35mm)
1936 THE RUSSIAN SCHOOL IN NEW YORK
L'école russe à New York
(United States, b/w, sou, 35mm, lost)
1937 SPANISH EARTH
Terre d'Espagne
(United States, 52 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1939 THE 400 MILLION
Les 400 millions
(United States, 53 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1941 POWER AND THE LAND
L'électrification de la terre
(United States, 33 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1941 OUR RUSSIAN FRONT
Notre front russe
(with Lewis Milestone; United States, 38 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1942 OIL FOR ALLADINS LAMP
La lampe d'Aladin
(United States, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1943 ACTION STATIONS !
Alarme! ou Branle-bas de combat
(Canada, 50 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1945 THE STORY OF G.I. JOE
Le récit de G.I. Joe
(Dir.: William Wellman; United States, 97 min, b/w, sou, 35mm)
1946 INDONESIA CALLING
L'Indonésie apelle
(Australia, 22 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1949 PIERWSZE LATA
The First Years / Les premières années
(Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, 99 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1951 POKOJ ZWYCIECY SWIAT
Peace Will Win / La paix vaincra
(with Jerzy Bossak; Poland, 90 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1952 FREUNDSCHAFT SIEGT
Friendship Triumphs / L'amitié vaincra
(with Ivan Pyriev; Russia, GDR, 95 min, colour, sou, 35 mm)
1952 WYSCIC POKOJU WARSZAWA-BERLIN-PRAGA
Peace Tour 1952 / La course de la paix Varsovie-Berlin-Prague
(Poland, GDR, 44 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1954 DAS LIED DER STRÖME
Song of the Rivers / Le chant des fleuves
(GDR, 90 min. b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1956 MEIN KIND
My Child / Mon enfant
(Dir.: Vladimir Pozner, Alfons Machalz; GDR, 22 min, b/w, sou, 35mm)
1956 DIE ABENTEUER DES TILL EULENSPIEGEL / LES AVENTURES DE TILL L'ESPIEGLE
The Adventures of Till Eulenspiegel
(Dir.: Gérard Philipe; GDR/France, 90 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1957 DIE WINDROSE
The Windrose / La rose des vents
(Dir.: Alberto Cavalcanti, a.o.; GDR, 110 min, b/w, sou, 35mm)
1957 LA SEINE A RENCONTRE PARIS
The Seine Meets Paris
(France, 32 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1958 BEFORE SPRING
Lettres de Chine
(China, 38 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1958 SIX HUNDRED MILLION WITH YOU
600 millions avec vous
(China, 12 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1960 L'ITALIA NON E UN PAESE POVERO
Italy is not a Poor Country / L'Italie n'est pas un pays pauvre
(Italy, 110 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1960 DEMAIN A NANGUILA
Nanguila Tomorrow
(Mali, 50 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1961 CARNET DE VIAJE
Travel Notebook / Carnet de voyage
(Cuba, 34 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1961 PUEBLO ARMADO
An Armed People / Peuple armé
(Cuba, 35 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1962 MARC CHAGALL
Marc Chagall
(Dir.: Henri Langlois; France, col, sou, 35mm; film was not released)
1963 ...A VALPARAISO
(France/Chile, 37 min, b/w and col, sou, 35 mm)
1963 LE PETIT CHAPITEAU
The Little Circus
(France/Chile, 6 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1964 LE TRAIN DE LA VICTOIRE
The Victory Train
(Chile, 9 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1965 POUR LE MISTRAL
The Mistral
(France, 30 min, b/w and col, sou, 35 mm and cinemascope)
1966 LE CIEL, LA TERRE
The Threatening Sky
(France, 30 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1966 ROTTERDAM-EUROPOORT
Rotterdam Europort
(Holland, France, 20 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1967 LOIN DE VIETNAM
Far From Vietnam
(Collective; France, 115 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1968 LE 17ème PARALLELE
The 17th Parallel
(with Marceline Loridan; France, 113 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1970 LE PEUPLE ET SES FUSILS
The People and Their Guns
(Collective; France, 97 min, b/w, sou, 35 mm)
1970 RENCONTRE AVEC LE PRESIDENT HO CHI MINH
Meeting With President Ho Chi Minh
(with Marceline Loridan; France 8 min, col, sou, 35 mm)
1976 COMMENT YUKONG DEPLAÇA LES MONTAGNES
How Yukong Moved the Mountains
(with Marceline Loridan; France, 12 hours, col, sou, 16 mm) 12 parts:
- AUTOUR DE PETROLE: TAKING (84 min)
The Oilfields
- LA PHARMACIE NR. 3: SHANGAI (79 min)
The Pharmacy: Shanghai
- L'USINE DE GENERATEURS (131 min)
The Generator Factory
- UNE FEMME, UNE FAMILLE (110 min)
A Woman, A Family
- LE VILLAGE DES PECHEURS (104 min)
The Fishing Village
- UNE CASERNE (56 min)
An Army Camp
- IMPRESSIONS D'UNE VILLE: CHANGHAI (60 min)
Impression of a City: Shanghai
- HISTOIRE D'UN BALLON: LE LYCEE NO. 31 A PEKIN (19 min)
The Football Incident
- LE PROFESSEUR TSIEN (12 min)
Professor Tsien
- UNE REPETITION A L'OPERA DE PEKIN (30 min)
Rehearsal at the Peking Opera
- ENTRAINEMENT AU CIRQUE DE PEKIN (18 min)
Training at the Peking Circus
- LES ARTISANS (15 min)
Traditional Handicrafts
1977 LES KAZAKS - MINORITE NATIONALE - SINKIANG
The Kazakhs - National Minority, Xinjiang
(with Marceline Loridan; France, 50 min, col, sou, 16 mm)
1977 LES OUIGOURS - MINORITE NATIONALE - SINKIANG
The Uigurs - National Minority, Xinjiang
(with Marceline Loridan; France, 35 min, col, sou, 16 mm)
1979 COMMÉMORATION À PARIS DE LA MORT DE MAO ZE DONG (Journal)
Commemoration of the death of Mao Ze Dong (News-item)
(with Marceline Loridan; France, col, sou; made for Chinese television)
1988 UNE HISTOIRE DE VENT
A Tale of the Wind
(with Marceline Loridan; France, 74 min, col, sou, 35 mm)