Leiden Essay Film Festival is a joint initiative of the Discursive Film Foundation, Leiden University’s Academy of Creative and Performing Arts and the lectorate FILM of the University of the Arts The Hague. 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 2026 is made possible thanks to generous financial support from the Municipality of Leiden, Cultuurfonds Zuid-Holland, Fonds 21 and VEVAM. We would like to thank the members of our Advisory Board, as well as Alexander Horwath, Vienna, and all participating filmmakers, rights holders and distributors for their involvement and support.

Partners and supporting organisations

TEAM

  • Gradiva Verdeil-Novara

    Film descriptions 

  • Linnea Semmerling

    Programming

  • Lelani Antar

    Programming, Film descriptions, Social media

  • Georgie Brinkman

    Programming, Visual communication

  • Anna Chatzioti

    Programming, Film descriptions

  • Pyotr Goloub

    Website

  • Roosmarijn Hompe

    Finances, Fundraising, Coordination

  • Margot Stoppels

    Communications

  • Michela Meliddo

    Visual identity design, Website, Printed matter, Trailers

  • Ellen Owens

    Visual identity design, Website, Printed matter

  • Rosalien van der Poel

    Fundraising

  • Gabriel Paiuk

    Programming

  • Michel Rensen

    Film transport

  • Gert Staal

    Texts and Fundraising

  • Erik Viskil

    Programming, Fundraising, Coordination

  • Bo Wang

    Programming

  • Thijs Witty

    Programming, Film descriptions

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

  • Stijn De Cauwer

    Assistant Professor Film and Literary Studies, Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society

  • Guiseppe Di Salvatore

    film critic, co-founder and editor-in-chief Filmexplorer, Basel

  • Linda van Deursen

    Designer, lecturer KABK The Hague, Yale School of Art, New Haven, Connecticut

  • Babeth Mondini-VanLoo

    film and TV director, producer and media-artist, Amsterdam

  • 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