Willemien van Aalst new director of the Netherlands Film Festival

Willemien van Aalst has been appointed Director of the Netherlands Film Festival effective October 3, 2009. She takes over from Doreen Boonekamp, who is leaving the Netherlands Film Festival following the 29th edition and has been appointed Director/Executive Director of the Netherlands Film Fund.

Willemien van Aalst was Creative Producer at IDTV Docs for the past five years. Prior to that, she worked as a senior organizational consultant at Andersson Elffers Felix and as Deputy Director of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

Willemien van Aalst on her appointment: “A dream job in the heart of Dutch film. I see it as my most important task to strengthen the unique position of the Netherlands Film Festival as the place where the Dutch film world comes together and a broad audience becomes acquainted with Dutch film in all its facets, and to make it future-proof. I consider it of great importance that the Netherlands Film Festival continues to make a substantial contribution to strengthening the Dutch film climate.”

Willemien van Aalst (1963) studied Theatre Studies, specializing in film and television, at Utrecht University. Since 2004, she has been responsible for IDTV Docs as Creative Producer. Prior to that, she worked for four years at the management consultancy Andersson Elffers Felix (AEF). During this period, she was primarily active as an interim manager, including as project leader of the International Architecture Biennial Rotterdam (IABR). Between 1988 and 2000, she worked at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam as producer, business manager, and deputy director, successively. Willemien van Aalst was a member of advisory committees of, among others, the Council for Culture, the Netherlands Film Fund, and the Municipality of Utrecht. She has held various board positions in the past. Currently, she is Chair of the International Chamber Music Festival Schiermonnikoog Foundation, a board member of the Cultuurlab Foundation (Pakhuis de Zwijger), and Chair of Documentary Producers Netherlands.

Willemien van Aalst will assume leadership of the festival as director immediately following the conclusion of the 29th edition of the Netherlands Film Festival, from September 23 to October 2, 2009.



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