HKU film talents awarded during Netherlands Film Festival

  • 30 september 2025
Graduate students of HKU have reaped an impressive number of awards in the student competition of the Netherlands Film Festival. No less than three HKU Media students, plus one student of HKU Theatre, went home with an award during the recent award ceremony. Additionally, a total of four wildcards were granted to HKU graduates, who received a significant sum to finance their next movie project.
HKU film talents awarded during Netherlands Film Festival
Tim Smink (HKU Media – Animation) received an EY Talent Award for his animated movie Closing Hour. The annual prize is assigned to the film with the highest production values. The jury was “impressed by the smart, nuanced style, with clear influences from Japanese Anime.”

Mickey Minnaar (HKU Media – Film) was rewarded with a Topkapi Film Price for best graduation film in the Fiction category, for his Depronima. A film that was, according to the jury, “compelling from the start. The director clearly feels at home in his own story and dares to take risky switches in his style and perspective.”

In the documentary category, Evan Frijters (HKU Media - Film) managed to obtain the VPRO Documentary Prize with his I Didn’t Get Into Berghain But I Did Meet Vica. It tells the story of a young woman who fled the war in Ukraine. The jury stated: “A raw, uncompromising and instinctive film that directly captivates the viewer and captures the spirit of the times in a subtle yet deeply moving way.”

HKU Theatre was also represented, thanks to Julia Buijs (Writing for Performance) who won the Shalky Scenarioprijs. With her surrealistic scenario Als de Zon in de Maan Verandert en Niemand het Ziet, the jury concluded that Buijs presented herself as “an artist with a distinctive voice, love for detail and a keen sense for rhythm and atmosphere.”

Photo: Ramon Mangold

Wildcards

Each of the prizes come with a financial sum of € 5,000 to support the future careers of these young talents. Next to the jury’s choices, the Dutch Film Fund also gave out seven additional Wildcards. Recently graduated film students who submitted their graduation films to the Fund, are eligible for financial support of their next project. Among these wildcard selections, there were another four HKU graduates, who each receive € 53,000 for their next film.

Filmfonds Wildcards Animation:
Livia May - Dad Said (Animation)
Tim Smink - Closing Hour (Animation)

Filmfonds Wildcards Documentary:
Mipham Chhowing - De gitaar van mijn vader / The Feeling of Emptiness (Film)

Filmfonds Wildcards Fiction:
Dijk Booy - De jongenskamer (Film)

Deze prijswinnende films, tezamen met alle andere HKU Afstudeerfilms, zijn op vrijdag te zien tijdens Blikvangers in het Louis Hartlooper Complex.

Golden Calf Award

Along with these recent graduates, several other HKU students were also involved in movies that were rewarded during the Golden Calf ceremony – the most prestigious film prize in the Netherlands. Close Your Eyes Hind received a Golden Calf for Best Short Film, in which third year Film-students Abdulrahman AbdulFattah and Mira Alkadri were involved as respectively executive producer and direction assistant. Mira also featured as a vocalist in the closing song. Alumna Naomi Aalbers served as child actor’s supervisor for this film.

And lastly, Aaron Rookus, alumnus and teacher at HKU Film, saw his feature film De Idylle awarded with a Best Hair & Make-up Design Award (Renee Wijnhoven).