THE PHOTOGRAPH
I regularly work as a story editor and researcher for documentary makers, but the film I’ve been most intimately involved in is The Photograph, by filmmaker Sherman de Jesus.
International premiere DOC NYC, 2021: Using the only known photo of his grandfather, filmmaker Sherman De Jesus illuminates the legacy of prolific photographer James Van Der Zee. Van Der Zee took historic and elegant portraits of the Black community during the Harlem Renaissance when images of Black joy were still rare. De Jesus’s single photograph unspools several proud generations of Black New York City life and photography. – Kim Garcia
POINTER SPECIAL
Who Profited From the End of Slavery?
I helped Pointer investigate money streams in the Netherlands after slavery was abolished in the Dutch colonies on July 1, 1863. Plantation owners received 300 guilders per enslaved person in Suriname and 200 guilders per enslaved person in the Antilles. The Dutch government shelved approximately 12 million guilders and the costs accounted for ten percent of total government expenditure.
In this special TV episode, I highlight the decision-making process surrounding this decision. Who were the key figures in the debate, and what interests were at stake? Why did the government pay such large sums to the plantation owners while the formerly enslaved received nothing? And can we track what happened to that money?
Inge Oosterhoff 