The Captain’s Log Book 47
Amsterdam, June 22, 2026
An gushing chunk of energy and creativity
Joost Broeren-Huitinga
Foto: Marja de Vries
The energetic documentary Azart, Come Make Art is just as delightfully defiant as the artists it portrays.
“If you come as an artist, you are always welcome,” is how August Dirks summarizes the attitude to life with which he sailed around the world with his ship Azart. To this end, an old fishing boat was transformed into a ship of fools.
Three times, surrounded by other artistic adventurers, Dirks attempted to sail around the world with the Azart, giving performances in dozens of ports along the way. The starting point was always the Eastern Docklands in Amsterdam, where a quay was renamed Azart Square in 1994 in honor of the ship.
The fact that they were ultimately not always and everywhere so welcome during their world voyages due to all sorts of regulations did not detract from the fun. Although the documentary Azart, Come Make Art roughly follows the chronology of three attempts at a world tour undertaken by Dirks with a constantly changing crew, this is certainly not a traditional “and then, and then, and then” documentary. In the same headstrong and whimsical manner as the artists’ commune, makers Annike Kaljouw Kaljouw and Masha Novikova leap through mountains of material, including much footage filmed along the way by those involved themselves.
The common thread is emotional rather than factual, as it becomes clear right at the start of the film that Dirks is so ill that the Azart will never sail under his captaincy again. Thus, this documentary is more of a tribute to a remarkable man. An artist’s life condensed into 83 minutes, a gushing chunk of energy and creativity.
