European Workshop for New Curators #3
The European Network for Film Discourse (The END) and short film magazine Talking Shorts are organising the 3rd edition of the European Workshop for New Curators: two week-long workshop sessions for aspiring film programmers and curators set during film festivals in Vila do Conde, Portugal (Curtas Vila do Conde, July 2026) and Ljubljana, Slovenia (FeKK, August 2026).
The focus of the workshop will be two-fold: community organising through film and the intricacies of festival programming. This workshop aims to broaden and illuminate the processes behind building community structures around film curation, as well as festival programming from an operational and team-based perspective.
Ethical considerations—political and socio-economic—will anchor our discussions and ground practical exercises as we envision the future of the film festival ecosystem in today’s global context. Invited guest speakers from both the community organising and film festival worlds will share practical insights to help shape your curatorial lens, culminating in the curation of your own short-film programme by the workshop’s end. The programmes will be exhibited online on the streaming platform This Is Short.
The workshop will be held in English and will include theoretical sessions, group discussions, guest lectures, small writing tasks, and hands-on curatorial work.
Tutor
The workshop participants will be tutored by film programmer and photographer Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva. Lyse is currently based in Belgium, where she founded Recognition in 2016. Recognition is a Brussels-based community film screening programme that focuses on work by and for people of African descent. Lyse currently works as a programmer at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Blackstar Film Festival in Philadelphia. Previously, she was a film consultant for the Berlinale Forum.
Application
The workshop is aimed at anyone over 18 who is interested in curatorial work about (short) films and can participate in both units of the tandem workshop:
17—24.07.2026
Workshop at Curtas Vila do Conde (Portugal)
16—23.08.2026
Workshop at FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival (Slovenia)
The workshop is aimed at European residents who:
- are over the age of 18;
- have a strong interest and motivation to gain insight into film curatorial practices;
- are eager to learn/be mentored by industry professionals;
- are proficient in English (speaking and writing);
- can attend the programme entirely, i.e., participate in both units of the tandem workshop in Vila do Conde and Ljubljana
The results will be communicated by April 24, 2026.