JURY AND AWARDS 2025

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COMPETITION

Cinedans proudly presents the Cinedans Student Award, sponsored by Canon, to spotlight emerging dance film talents from international dance, film, and art academies. This year, fourteen films—selected from over 100 entries across 28 countries—compete for the coveted prize.

During Cinedans FEST '26 the invited jury will announce the winner of the International Student Competition on Saturday 22 March, 20:45 in Cinema 2, following the screening of Perceptual Twists.

Emma Evelein is a Dutch choreographer, director, and independent artist. After studying at the Amsterdam School of the Arts, she worked with choreographers from Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and Batsheva Dance Company. Transitioning from dancer to creator, Emma has become an international film and theater choreographer and director, known for her detailed, raw, and accessible dance language. In 2021 she won the NDT partnership award at RIDCC, and was invited to choreograph a piece for NDT.
Emma has created stage works for major European companies and collaborates with international film and music video productions.Her works, such as Sisters, A Flood Remains, and Wolves, have won over 40 awards worldwide, including the Tuschinski Award (2019), the Kurt Jooss Preis (2019) and the Cinedans Student Award (2019). In 2023, she won a Gouden Kalf (Dutch Oscar) for her film Lucid Dreaming. She is also a respected teacher and has given masterclasses in over 20 countries.

christopher tym (UK) is an artist-filmmaker based in the Netherlands that explores the (dis)locations between 'virtual+natural' environments. Using film and animation he creates hybrid spaces using unreliable framing, affective editing and by exploring the relationship between the camera and the body. His current projects focus on ocean-centric moving image that challenge our preconceptions of the Anthropocene and our evolving world/s. 

christopher teaches hybrid-animation and is a core tutor at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam.

Henry Tawiah is a choreographer and artistic director whose career spans the worlds of dance, theater, and film. With a background in theater productions at renowned companies such as ISH and collaborations with Cirque du Soleil and the Dutch National Ballet, Henry has established himself as a leading creative force in the performing arts.

His artistic journey is a dynamic fusion of dance and film, through which he creates a unique approach to storytelling through movement. In addition to his passion for dance and theater, he has a deep interest in visual arts and photography. This led to the creation of Fuuze.nl ten years ago, a platform dedicated to producing video content and portfolios for dancers. Today, Henry works as an artistic director for various brands and companies, including Monks, Sierra, and Studio Vibe. With his extensive experience and sharp artistic vision, he is constantly pushing boundaries and intertwining the power of movement with visual storytelling in the arts and world of fashion.

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CINEDANS LAB STUDENT PITCH

Five selected student projects in which dance and movement play a central role, are presenting their ideas to a jury of industry professionals and compete for the coveted Cinedans Student Pitch Award. The winner will receive a € 500,- prize, along with advice for further developing their project.

This year's jury consists of:

Miloushka Bokma (NL)
photographer & director