Meet the Jury of Euregion Film Festival 2019

The fourth edition of Euregion Film Festival is drawing nearer and nearer. This festival is all about emerging film talent, with a special focus on our own region – the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. This fourth edition is going to be big, with a great program for both makers and the public. For the fourth edition of the festival, 12 films have been selected for the Official Competition – all within the theme of Euregion Film Festival 2019, “Stories That Matter”. Every film that is shown tells an important or inspiring story, a story that must be shared. Because it is relevant and urgent, because it encourages thinking, or simply because it inspires or moves you.

To make the best possible decision and find out who will win Best Film in the Official Competition, we invited three professionals and three local young film geeks to be part of the jury. In this article, we will introduce you to each of them.

The Professional Jury

Anita Smeets is head of Limburg Film Festival and runs the film theatres in Roermond and Venlo. This background and her passion for film make her a valuable part of Euregion Film Festival Professional Jury this year.

Günther H. Jekubzik has established himself as an independent international film journalist. After studying German literature and language, he moved on to teach film analysis. Since 1988 he has worked as a freelance critic for several newspapers and magazines throughout Germany: film-dienst, Leipziger Volkszeitung, Badische Zeitung and Aachener Nachrichten. For three years he organized the tree-nation-film festival Made in Europe.

Michael van den Eynde has been active as a lawyer in the creative industries since 2006. He worked for several successful production companies and cultural institutions. With respect for everyone who wants to support and create new, original ideas and art, he commits himself to deliver legal expertise on the highest level in the cultural and artistic field. He also has experience as a producer and director.

The Youth Jury

Nino Valcq is born and raised in Maastricht, and studies the course AV-specialist at the Arcus College in Heerlen.

“Films are always evolving and are a unique way of storytelling. They are an escape into a different realty where everything is possible and where there are no boundaries, but also have stories about the mundane and tell tales about everyday people with everyday problems we as a audience can relate to. And that’s what I love about movies, the different sto ries they tell, no matter how big or small. I’m honored that I’m allowed to be on the jury at the Euregion Film Festival and I can’t wait to see what the filmmakers have in store for us. I expect to see some creative work by creative people, every film being unique in its own way.”

Damiën Joosten lives in a small village surrounded by hills called Partij. He studies the course AV-specialist at Arcus College in Heerlen, and has a wide passion for fims and documentaries. He won Kunstbende 2018 and strives to get more experience at creating beautiful stories in the future.

“I love everything that includes a story. Video games, series, documentaries and, of course, films. No books though, I prefer reading subtitles over books. Whenever I watch a movie, I mostly pay attention to the actors. Fun fact: a good actor/actress doesn’t blink with their eyes all that often when acting. That’s because they are not thinking about their role or text, they are just living inside their character. At the Euregion Film Festival, I expect to see original and beautiful stories that are well-crafted and will be remembered by the viewer. I’m looking forward to all the films that will be shown at EFF this year!”

Elian Schure is studying philosophy, cultural studies & art at the university of Maastricht. She enjoys going to museums, reading, and watching films. She is a regular Youth Jury member at Euregion and SHIFT Film Festivals.

“What I like about films is that every director transforms a script into their own, personal vision. No two director will ever make the same film. A film is a personal piece of art, like a novel or a painting. At the Euregion Film Festival I expect to see many pieces of art and hope to see a lot of new, interesting directors. Last year, I was once again amazed by the diversity of topics and approaches to the creation of a film. A film for me should be not only about dialogues and actors. The setting, the props, and the overall atmosphere of the film are as important as the interactions between the characters.”

Pitch Jury

Joost de Vries was a producer and CEO of Amsterdam based renowned production company Lemming Film for over 20 years. In 2016 Joost decided to establish new company An Original Picture, which is focused on international productions. Moreover, he is a Managing Director of APostLab, post production workshops, training and network.Moniek Kramer is a Dutch actress and scriptwriter. She writes for theatre, television and film and is known for works such as Rembrandt en ik (2011), Lucia de B. (2014) or Deining (2004). In her home town Amsterdam she studied to be a stage director at The Academy of Theatre and Dance and completed an education as a screenwriter. After her studies Moniek made her debut as an actress on stage in 1977. Four years later, she made her debut as a film actress in the drama film Gekkenbriefje. Since then she played several roles in films and television series and worked on many projects as a scriptwriter.

Moniek Kramer is a Dutch actress and scriptwriter. She writes for theatre, television and film and is known for works such as Rembrandt en ik (2011), Lucia de B. (2014) or Deining (2004). In her home town Amsterdam she studied to be a stage director at The Academy of Theatre and Dance and completed an education as a screenwriter. After her studies Moniek made her debut as an actress on stage in 1977. Four years later, she made her debut as a film actress in the drama film Gekkenbriefje. Since then she played several roles in films and television series and worked on many projects as a scriptwriter.

Bart Hölscher is a professional filmmaker since 1992. He started by making many commercials, films for companies and educational films. By now his main activities include the making of tv programmes and documentaries. Next to that he is always busy with the planning of new films.

Nicole van Kilsdonk is a successful director and scriptwriter. She made over 15 series, feature and television films including: Hoe overleef ik mezelf, Patatje Oorlog, Ventoux and Hoe mijn vader een struik werd. In 2018 she directed Zuidas for BNN-VARA.

Hans de Wolf is a Dutch television, documentary and film producer. He is also a guest tutor at the Netherlands Film Academy and the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts. From 1985 to 1989 Hans was director of the Netherlands Film Festival. From 1990 onwards he was producer at production company Egmond Film & Television, winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards with the film Antonia’s Line. Together with Hanneke Niens he co-founded company KeyFilm in 2008.