A roundtable discussion on Anthropological Film Programming in Europe, has taken place at the Riga Pasaules Film Festival in Riga, Latvia, Friday, 25 April 2025.
The panel brought together anthropological film festival curators from across Europe to explore the dynamic landscape of contemporary film festival programming. How curators balance their creative visions with practical constraints, considering the influence of local discourses and funding structures on curatorial decisions and the overall identity of film festivals? This panel fostered a dialogue on the boundaries curators uphold and those they seek to challenge, offering a comparative look at curatorial practices across Europe.
Key themes:
- The negotiation between creative freedom and logistical limitations
- The role of local cultural and political contexts in shaping festival programming
- Strategies for fostering diversity and innovation in anthropological film festivals
- Opportunities to expand and strengthen the network of anthropological film festivals in Europe
The panellists were:
Eddy Appels – Beeld voor Beeld /Cineblend Ethnographic Film Festival; Imagine Fantastic Film Festival
Ivan Maksimović – International Festival of Ethnological Film
Konstantinos Aivaliotis – Athens International Film Festival
Peter Crawford – Nordic Anthropological Film Association
Beate Engelbrecht – German International Ethnographic Film Festival
This event has been recorded and the edited film is available in The NAFA Film Collection
You have to be a member of the Nordic Anthropological Film Association (NAFA) to be able to watch the film. If you would like to become a NAFA member, you may register here.