Leiden Essay Film Festival is an initiative of Leiden University’s Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in collaboration with the Discursive Film Foundation, the lectorate FILM of the University of the Arts The Hague and ReCNTR. The festival is produced in cooperation with Cinema Kijkhuis / Bioscopen Leiden and Museum De Lakenhal. We are a partner of the Days of Art & Science and collaborate with We Are Public, Cineville, LIFF (Leiden International Film Festival) and Leiden Global to reach a broad audience.
leff 2025 is made possible by contributions from the City of Leiden, Leiden University Fund and the Humanities Impact Fund. Special thanks to Cinémathèque royale de Belgique / Fondation Chantal Akerman for permission to screen De l'autre coté, to Filmexplorer for the selection of titles from their Video Essay Gallery and to all cooperating filmmakers, rights holders and distributors for their dedication and support.
TEAM
- Lelani Antar – Coordination of Film Descriptions
- Georgie Brinkman – Programming
- Anna Chatzioti – Film Descriptions
- Pyotr Goloub – Website Development
- Emma de Looij – Communications
- Annemarie Montulet – Fundraising
- Michela Meliddo – Visual Identity Design, Website, Printed Matter
- Veronica Munteanu – Film Descriptions
- Ellen Owens – Visual Identity Design, Website, Printed Matter
- Rosalien van der Poel – Overall Coordination
- Gabriel Paiuk – Programming
- Merel Pol – Film Descriptions
- Gert Staal – Texts and Fundraising
- Frederique van Staveren – Film Descriptions
- Erik Viskil – Programming and Overall Coordination
- Esmee de Vette – Film Descriptions
- Bo Wang – Programming
- Thijs Witty – Programming and Overall Coordination
BOARD MEMBERS
- Matthew Barrington – Researcher at Birkbeck Institute of the Moving Image, Curator Essay Film Festival London
- Janilda Bartholomeu – Filmmaker, programmer, researcher
- María Palacios Cruz – Director Open City Documentary Festival, London
- Joost Daamen – Head Programmer IDFA, Amsterdam
- Linda van Deursen – Designer, lecturer KABK The Hague, Yale School of Art, New Haven, Connecticut
- Julia Morandeira Arrizabalaga – Director of Studies, Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid
- Francesco Ragazzi – Associate Professor, Institute of Political Science and co-director ReCNTR, Leiden University
- Julian Ross – Head of Programming and Distribution, Eye Filmmuseum Amsterdam
- Ali Shobeiri – Assistant Professor Photography and Visual Culture, Leiden University Center for the Arts in Society
- Ingrid van Tol – Documentary Film Advisor and Coach
- Barbara Visser – Visual artist, former Director IDFA and Chair of the Royal Academy of Arts KNAW