Featured at SXSW 2013; Beyond the Bolex unfolded the lost archive of Jacques Bolsey, the mysterious inventor who believed film making would become accessible to all. His visionary camera eventually helped shape the modern generation of independent filmmakers.
The story begins with a discovery; a young filmmaker named Alyssa Bolsey discovers that her great- grandfather was the inventor of the iconic Bolex. Jacques was a Russian refugee living in Switzerland in the early years of the 20th Century; He wanted a future where everyone would have access to the tools necessary to make movies.
In Beyond the Bolex, Alyssa sets out to trace her and the Bolex’s path from her great-grandfather’s invention though to its current life in the digital age. The film makes use of Bolsey’s rich, never-before-seen archive of experimental films, journals, camera designs and blueprints and explores modern themes of entrepreneurship, technological innovation and democratized filmmaking.
Alongside this forgotten inventor’s story, Beyond the Bolex shows the camera in use today with two underdog inventors who are working with a digital version- the Digital Bolex. The film celebrates the modern entrepreneurial spirit of Digital Bolex and illustrates how Bolsey’s idea has grown and transformed over time.
Photo Credit: kickstarter.com
