A dazzling bunch of graduation films have made their way thorough our open call. We’ll be cherry-picking the most interesting ones and screen them during the Playgrounds International Film Festival. We mean, of course, the short films that are not afraid of technical challenges and aim for the stars in terms of crafts and production, even though their creators are not yet established professionals but still students. One of them will take home an encouraging prize of € 1000,- and the title of Best Student Film.
Here are the wonderful people that we are entrusting this very difficult task! Meet our Student Film Competition judges: Hannah Lau-Walker, Cheyenne Goudswaard and Simon Bavinck.
With over ten years of experience within the commercial animation industry, Hannah Lau-Walker has worked at indie studios to huge production houses. Animating everything from a laundrette morphing into a beautiful garden to a cow on skates. Since graduating from Central St.Martins, Hannah has developed her 2D animation skills to senior roles and led large animation productions working closely with crew to deliver exceptional work and has expanded into directing short films and commercials. Hannah is deeply committed to the animation industry, developing community as a founder of She Drew That (established in 2019) collaborating with women and studios across the industry to develop mentoring, workshops and residency projects and resources.
Cheyenne Goudswaard is a Dutch illustrator and animation filmmaker. Her focus is drawn to the dirt in the corner and the neighbour that no one wants – the unnoticed and misunderstood. She graduated with a Master degree in Animation from MIVC St. Joost School of Art and Design. She directed ‘Ik Ben Hier’ (I Am Here), a film that explores the fear of oblivion and the deeply human need to leave a mark on the world. The film has been selected at film festivals worldwide and recently won the Best Animated Film Award at the Sehsüchte Film Festival in Germany. As an editorial illustrator, she has worked for The New York Times, DIE ZEIT, and De Correspondent. She is also part of the Playgrounds Next Talent Program 2024 -2025.
Simon Bavinck is the program coordinator of BROET, a platform supporting local filmmakers and audiovisual talent in the Brabant Region. He is also an independent filmmaker and creative producer whose projects have earned international acclaim, including Aït Ishaq, nominated for the Debut Competition at the Netherlands Film Festival and now streaming on NPO Extra, Jungle, showcased at the New York Indie Shorts Awards, and The Creative Handshake, selected for the Ceres Film Festival. As a self-taught filmmaker who transitioned from event production to film, Simon understands the resourceful creativity required in student filmmaking. Having worked on numerous low-budget projects, he is excited to evaluate how emerging talent achieves high production value with minimal means. This marks Simon’s first time serving as a juror, and he is thrilled to support the next generation of filmmakers through this inspiring event.
