Vrijplaats op Maat Residency 2025: Visual Storytelling

• What is the Vrijplaats op Maat residency?

  The Vrijplaats op Maat residency is a free workspace and think tank where film and AV professionals have the opportunity to deepen and develop their professional practice. After six successful editions of Vrijplaats, FilmForward’s residency programme, we are now organising the second edition of the Vrijplaats op Maat residency in collaboration with Playgrounds.

  Playgrounds is an organisation supporting and developing visual culture, focusing on film, animation, games, illustration, and digital art, with an emphasis on the creative process of (moving) images and the concept behind it. The focus is not on displaying the final result (the artwork, film, or game), but rather how it took shape and in what context. In a time of automation and manipulation of images and truth, this perspective is of crucial societal and cultural importance.

  Theme: Visual Worlds and Stories In this edition, we focus on the development of visual worlds, concept art, and everything related to visual storytelling. Do you have a project that could benefit from further research? Then this is your chance to dive deeper and experiment.

• For who?

  We are looking for experienced production designers, costume designers, character designers, concept artists, designers, game designers, and XR specialists; visual storytellers, masters of visual storytelling, and other AV professionals passionate about visual creation. Film professionals seeking support with a specific research question or project development. Whether you’re a seasoned professional, emerging talent, or have worked as an assistant, you may be ready for the next step. If you’re interested in production design, world-building, or visual storytelling, this is your chance to grow and experiment.

• Why is the vrijplaats op maat unique?

  This residency is perfect for professionals who don’t always qualify for regular development programmes: production designers, designers, game designers, or XR wizards who want to develop a specific visual world for a story. Whether you are working on a film, series, or game, if your project focuses on visual storytelling, we offer the space to develop further. Each participant works on their own research question, whether or not linked to a project.

  During the Vrijplaats op Maat residency, you will have the chance to analyse films, have discussions with experts, receive feedback on your work, and set up new experiments. The programme is flexible and tailored to your specific needs. Together with our team, you will create a personal research plan and work under the guidance of experienced coaches, including film journalist Dana Linssen, who is also the programme’s co-curator. The programme includes a visit to the two-day festival Playgrounds: The Art Department (20 & 21 March), Positionality Training by Winnie Roseval, and DasArts Feedback sessions with Rogier Klomp.

• Additional details

  • Key dates: 11 and 12 December, 23 January, 19 March, 20 March, 21 March, 3 April, 4 April, 15 May, 12 June. We expect that if you apply, you are available on these dates.
  • Each participant will receive a stipend of €1,500 and a personal budget of €750 for meetings with experts, experiments, and other forms of research. Travel costs will also be reimbursed.

Participants

Experts