The application window for this Vrijplaats has closed. Vrijplaats is FilmForward’s annual research trajectory in which filmmakers are given the time and space to pursue a self-chosen research project. This new Vrijplaats is organised in collaboration with Sound & Vision and focuses on archives: we invite filmmakers and image researchers who work with archives, to apply.
Within the film and audiovisual sector, archives are used in various ways: the archive can be an important site of research for film- and av-professionals, while existing moving images from archives can also be used to tell a new, or different, story. Through found footage, you can create an entirely new film, or rework existing material according to your own vision.
Archives also raise questions for researchers, such as: which communities are (still) not represented in the archive? And how does the selection of what we archive—a selection that is not neutral—determine which structures we maintain in society?
An archive is never neutral, but also never complete. This is precisely where the strength of an archive lies: existing material can be shaped into something new. We can feminise, decolonise, and queer the archive in order to make silences and gaps visible, as well as add new histories to them.
Who is this Vrijplaats for?
For this Vrijplaats, we invite filmmakers and image researchers to submit a research proposal around the theme of archive. The term filmmaker does not only apply to directors, but also sound designers and podcast creators, etcetera. There is space for six to eight filmmakers / image researchers, who will receive a stipend of €3000,- to further develop their research.
There’s also space for two to four observers: recently graduated researchers or MA-students in the final phase of their study. These observers do not receive a stipend, but can follow the programme and access the archives of Sound & Vision. For the application we only expect a motivation from them.
Application procedure
The application window for this Vrijplaats has closed.
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The programme
Vrijplaats Archive runs from June 2026 to April 2027 and consists of masterclasses, training sessions, feedback sessions, and visits to film festivals and archives. You will be coached by Juliette Jansen and Cees Martens from Sound & Vision, and Vrijplaats curator Dana Linssen. There is also ample space for joint sessions in which participants look at each other’s work and learn from one another. Participants are expected to attend all sessions—mostly in Amsterdam and Hilversum. Travel expenses will be reimbursed.
The programme concludes with presentations during Movies That Matter 2027.
Note: festival visits to Netherlands Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and Movies That Matter, are also part of the programme.
