Leiden Essay Film Festival

What is an essay film?

It is an adventurous and inquisitive film genre practiced by both artists and scholars. The filmmakers are guided by their personal curiosity to explore phenomena and events, reporting on them in a reflective, often idiosyncratic manner.

The term essay film was coined by artist Hans Richter, who described the genre in 1940 as a new form of documentary filmmaking. The first essay films primarily tackled anthropological and political themes. They quickly transcended disciplinary boundaries, blending fact with fiction and taking on a poetic as well as experimental character.

That experimental spirit remains at the heart of the genre today: essayistic filmmakers try to understand the world better through a reflective research process, often questioning their own perspectives along the way.

Festive opening

The festival opens with a lecture by film scholar Laura Rascaroli and a screening of the film Undead Voices by Maria Iorio and Raphaël Cuomo. Rascaroli is known for books such as The Personal Camera and How the Essay Film Thinks. In her lecture, she will explain the essay film genre through excerpts from various films.

The opening takes place on Sunday 14 September at 2pm in Museum De Lakenhal.

Kijkhuis

The films shown at Cinema Kijkhuis on the following days – Monday 15 September, and Tuesday 16 September – are rarely or never seen in the Netherlands. Most are recent productions and address pressing contemporary themes such as globalization, migration, war, destruction, and political power.

There will be curated theme blocks, for instance on listening, the city of Hong Kong, and the representation of factory workers – featuring films that take the "first film ever" by the Lumière brothers, showing workers leaving a factory, as a starting point.

At most screenings, filmmakers or guest speakers will be present to engage with the audience. Thanks to their reflective and independent nature, essay films offer rich ground for critical reflection and exchange. Many screenings will be framed by introductions and followed by a conversation or discussion.