There's a pretty obvious reason why shows like How It's Made are so popular. We love getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what goes into the creation of everyday objects, but there's nothing everyday about a good cigar. For the past 65 years, Coen Hovens Sr. has been handcrafting cigars with care and precision that is rooted in one of the world's richest traditions. The Art of Cigars shows Hovens and his son making cigars the old-fashioned way and it's fascinating. "There are maybe only 10 to 20 people left in the Netherlands who can make cigars," says Coen Hovens, as he walks us through what he looks for in tobacco. There's no heavy machinery or computer algorithms, just a couple of guys with hand-powered tools and a good eye for quality.
The video was created by Martijn Kersten for the Sony Professional short documentary competition in hopes of winning an PXW-FS7 camera. He not only shot and directed it using a Sony FS700, Kersten also edited and did principle photography himself. The filmmaker may not have won the contest, but he certainly got our attention and we wouldn't mind seeing him expand this short film into a full-length documentary.
