About Hugo
Hugo Emmerzael is an Amsterdam-based film critic, public speaker and curator with over a decade of experience at the intersection of cinema, music and culture at large.
As an editor at Filmkrant — the Netherlands’ leading independent film magazine — and Deputy Digital Editor of the Locarno Pardo, Hugo has extensive experience in online and print criticism. Other bylines include MUBI Notebook, Filmmaker Magazine, Documentary Magazine, Little White Lies, Talking Shorts, In Review Online and Swissinfo.
He is a Golden Globes voter and a member of FIPRESCI, who has served in juries at Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Off-Camera Film Festival (Krakow), and goEast Filmfestival (Wiesbaden). He is also a member of the Circle of Dutch Film Journalists.
His programming work explores the boundaries of mainstream and experimental cinema, with a particular focus on digital cinema’s evolution in the 21st century. He has curated programmes for Eye Film Institute, Netherlands Film Festival’s Director’s Forum, and CinemAsia Film Festival, alongside theatrical programming for Filmtheater Velsen.
As a public speaker, Hugo brings both intellectual rigour and genuine accessibility to venues in the Netherlands and abroad. Equally at home with a general audience curious about cinema and a room full of industry professionals, he works regularly with IFFR, Locarno Film Festival, Eye Film Institute, Rialto Amsterdam, LantarenVenster, Lumière Maastricht, amongst others. He is a guest teacher at the Netherlands Film Academy and offers public speaking courses for the cultural and private sector.
While cinema is his primary domain, Hugo has deep knowledge of music and the broader art world, expressed through his work for Rewire Festival — where he moderates in-depth conversations with celebrated musicians — and his writing for Dutch music festivals like Down the Rabbit Hole and Lowlands.
Hugo has been a recurring guest at radio and television shows. You can also hear him in conversation right now on the Celebrating Cinema podcast, produced by Amsterdam-based cinema LAB111.
For commissions, engagements, and collaborations, get in touch.