Lehmann, Theo van Baaren, and Gertrude Pape on the surrealist magazine "De Schone Zakdoek."

Throughout the 1930s Van Moerkerken spent a significant amount of time in Paris, where he crossed paths with luminaries such as Brassaï, Salvador Dalí, André Breton, and Man Ray.

During World War II, Emiel worked on communist resistance films and collaborated on the surrealist magazine "De Schone Zakdoek" alongside figures like C. Buddingh', Louis Th.

In 1983 Van Moerkerken received a Golden Calf award for his short film Next Year in Holysloot, in which he also played the lead role.

The film revolves around a blind man journeying through various landscapes worldwide en route to Holysloot, serving as a metaphor for filmmakers who become fixated on the allure of Hollywood fame.

He remains the sole Dutch photographer from that era to have captured such a significant volume of images closely aligned with the international surrealist visual language.

Van Moerkerken captured numerous writers, poets, and visual artists during their early and debut periods: The following (short) films are all housed in the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.