Benno Premsela (1920-1997) played an important role in the social and cultural life of the Netherlands after 1945. He was a multifaceted designer and an initiating force in his field. He also was a strong advocate for the emancipation of homosexual men and women. Premsela's shopwindows for the departmentstore De Bijenkorf in the 1950s have become legendary. His designs for the Loteklamp and the cotton rug Van Besouw belong to the modern classics.

The documentary by Carrie de Swaan portrays his work and life. In archive fragments Premsela speaks of his ideas on social and sexual freedom. His way of looking is shown in the slides he made everywhere in the world. His vision on contemporary art and the way artists perceived him is captured in his art collection. Choreographer Hans van Manen and others who knew him as a friend, a colleague and a promoter of the arts, talk about him. The original music is composed by Willem Breuker.

Written and directed by Carrie de Swaan
Music: Willem Breuker
Camera : Paul van den Bos
Sound : Menno Euwe
Editing: Jelle Redeker
Duration: 54.30 minutes
Dutch spoken, english subtitles

Benno Premsela is produced by Swaan Produkties in coproduction with Humanistische Omroep and with financial support of Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Promotion Fund, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, ThuisKopie Fund and VSB-fund.