This Tiny World

Director Charles Huguenot van der Linden describes his documentary as "an unassuming thing," and these words reveal his surprise when it won an Academy Award®. In fact he’s right, but great love and skill went into the making of this film that offers a nostalgic view of old toys. These lovingly restored treasures from private collections and museums are brought to life with an equal amount of love in the film’s miniature universe. And by presenting them in chronological order, the film provides a unique perspective on the course of industrialization, moving from handcrafted wooden horses and carts to tin cars and then plastic spaceships. The female narrator’s kindly voice adds another layer of relationships with greater human themes. It was surely a very personal project for this unjustly all-but-forgotten figure in Dutch film history. The film is dedicated to his grandchildren, and he brings the film to a close with these words: "In gratitude for all the toys I received as a child, and in regret for having destroyed them."