Ronald Bijlsma

Biography

Ronald Bijlsma, born in 1934, began his animation career in 1957 at the Dutch Toonder Studios. He later moved to Cine Cartoon Centre, founded by American director Jim Hiltz, where he made numerous animated commercials for television. Bijlsma's first independent short, "Het Duel," was financed and shown as one of the first autonomous films from the Netherlands at the Annecy festival. He also made a personal film, "In the Void," which showcased his love for painting. In the late 60s, he started his own production company and founded the Dutch Association for Animation Film in 1973, later becoming Holland Animation. His most well-known film, "Brainwash," remained a guiding light for emerging Dutch animation. Bijlsma made commissioned films for the state and private sector, and illustrated magazines and publications. In the late 80s, he joined Top Drawers agency as a producer-director, making several films, including the award-winning "Home of the Future" for Philips. In the 90s, he made another independent film inspired by early American cartoons, "Back to the inkwell," completed in 1992. Bijlsma devoted his last years to painting.