OPEN STAGE: REDIVIDER STUDIO

THE ART DEPARTMENT EINDHOVEN 2026 (SOLD OUT)

Joining us from Redivider Studio are director Tim Smit and digital artist Sohaib Bouiass. In this talk they’ll discuss how the team uses video and virtual media to tell stories that emphasize impact-driven messages.

This artist talk is part of our Open Stage. At the start of 2026 we initiated an open call to give our community the chance to become a speaker on our coziest stage yet: The Living Room.

TIM SMIT

Tim Smit graduated as a physicist but quickly found his true passion in the world of visual effects and filmmaking. His breakthrough came in 2009 when his short What’s in the Box?.

The years that followed inspired Tim to craft his first feature film based on the short. He took a deep dive into the world of visual storytelling, by working on a range of projects as a director and visual effects artist.He completed his first directed feature film debut Kill Switch. The movie got international acclaim for its use of visual and unique camera work.

Succeeding his film, Tim has directed VFX for award winning commercials such as Woolmark: Wear wool not fuel and Woolmark: Wear wool not waste. He directed the short Airborne as a proof of concept for a brand new feature film concept, tailored to his abilities and visual narrative. He recently finished second unit directing on the new Hulu series: The Kollective and is currently working on his new short film film project Axis Mundi.

 

SOHAIB BOUAISS

Sohaib Bouaiss (The Netherlands) is a director and digital artist from Rotterdam specializing in 3D animation, lighting, and environmental design. He studied Animation at the Willem de Kooning Academy and graduated in 2020 with his experimental 3D short film A White Screen Is Visible (2020), which received the Wildcard Award from the Dutch Film Fund.

20 YEARS OF PLAYGROUNDS: OUR BIG BIRTHDAY BASH
are you ready to celebrate? (Thursday 16 April)
afterparty
SONY PICTURES ANIMATION (KPOP DEMON HUNTERS)
head of character animation Joshua Beveridge & visual development artist Wendell Dalit
artist talk
NATHAN FOWKES
concept artist
artist talk
BLUR
production company
artist talk
MATT NAVA (GIANT SQUID STUDIOS)
game development studio
artist talk
PERNILLE ØRUM
character designer, visual development artist
artist talk
MOONHOOD
video game studio
artist talk
RAMAN DJAFARI
illustrator, animator, filmmaker
artist talk
BORIS & NICOLAS
animators
artist talk
OLOV BURMAN
director and animator
artist talk
BLENDER STUDIO
premiere of new short Singularity
artist talk
CLAIRE KEANE
author-illustrator, visual development artist
artist talk
LIP COMARELLA
director, visual development artist, art director
artist talk
ADAM PALOIAN
director, producer, character designer
artist talk
CAT JOHNSTON
director, character designer, model maker and illustrator
artist talk
LOEK VUGS
designer, animator, teacher
artist talk
XAVIERA ALTENA
illustrator
artist talk
MAUREEN VAN DER HOUT & RACHELLE JOY SLINGERLAND
character design duo
artist talk
DIEPFRIS
concept artist
artist talk
BIANCA NAZARI (ENVAR STUDIO)
senior recruiter
artist talk
SANDRO CLEUZO
animator and character designer
artist talk
YONK
VR sculpting 3D animation studio
artist talk
ENVAR STUDIO
outsource & game studio
artist talk
REAL TALKS WITH IRIS COMPIET & LOISH
a sit-down with two industry legends
real talk
FONS SCHIEDON
director, designer
artist talk
IRIS COMPIET: FROM SKETCH TO WATER COLOR
an ode to traditional media
demo
ARTIST STUDIOS
check your favorite artists at work
artist studios
LESBIAN SIMULATOR
a VR experience by Iris van der Meule
expo
ART MARKET
print, apparal & tattoos
art market
CLIP STUDIO PAINT DEMO BY SYNTICFAYE
illustrator
demo
SKETCH SESSIONS BY DRINK AND DRAW BERLIN
live sketching experience
sketch sessions
NEXT STAGE
stage curated by the Next Talent Program
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: MURMUR ANIMATION
animation duo
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: SABER AIDARUS
director, animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: PIT LEMPENS
illustrator, animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: TESSA STEHOUWER
animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: JIP CROMBAG
game designer
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: LUCAS PETERSEN
2D animator, storyboarder
artist talk
OPEN STAGE: REDIVIDER STUDIO
creative studio
artist talk
OPEN STAGE: SYNTICFAYE
illustrator
artist talk
EXPO: THE SECRET OF NIMH
key pieces from one of the largest NIMH collections in Europe
expo
PANEL: DIVERSIFY YOUR SKILLS
with Georgie Holt, Bianca Nazari, Kevin Zamir Goeke and Bastien Grivet!
panel
DEMO BY LOISH
dive into Loish' digital drawing process
demo
PANEL: CREATIVITY AND HUMAN NATURE
with Spiridon Giannakis, Pernille Ørum, Lip Comarella and Atey Ghailan
panel
VPRO RADIO NOOIT MEER SLAPEN WITH IRIS COMPIET
live recording with VPRO Nooit Meer Slapen (this interview is in Dutch)
interview
ASK AWAY! Q&A WITH TAD ARTISTS
getting answers to audience questions
ask away!
WORKSHOP CREATE & PLAY BY CARDBOARDERS
16 April | create your own character!
workshop
LIVE ANIMATION WITH SANDRO CLEUZO
right before your eyes
demo
BOOKSHOP
discover art books, comics and exclusive titles
books
PLAYGROUNDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
where we put the art of filmmaking in the spotlight
film fest
FOOD & DRINKS BY SMAAKMAKERIJ
coffee, snacks, burgers, poké bowls and more!
food & drinks
PLAYGROUNDS 20 YEARS BUMPERS
by students from the St.Joost Master of Animation
expo
COMMUNITY ART CHALLENGES
have your works shown during TAD 2026
community
20 YEARS OF PLAYGROUNDS TREASURE HUNT