Hugo Emmerzael

Film critic, public speaker and curator from Amsterdam

Hugo’s film writing spans theatrical releases, festival coverage, essays and in-depth interviews. He specialises in probing conversations with directors, cinematographers and composers that explore their craft and their sensibilities in equal measure.

His English-language bylines include MUBI Notebook, Filmmaker Magazine, Documentary Magazine, In Review Online, Little White Lies, Talking Shorts, Senses of Cinema, Swissinfo and the Locarno Pardo, of which he is Deputy Digital Editor. In Dutch, he is an editor of Filmkrant, the Netherlands’ leading independent film magazine.

For writing commissions and editorial collaborations, get in touch.

Selected writing in Dutch →

Interviews

Making It: Pietra Brettkelly and the critics break down CrocodileDocumentary Magazine A tale of exploitation in Alpine ski resorts: Locher and Alipio on Enjoy Your StaySwissinfo Swiss filmmaking duo follows Kurt Cobain's afterlife to cheers in RotterdamSwissinfo A Dream of Music: Oneohtrix Point Never on Scoring Marty SupremeMUBI Notebook The Wounded Bird: Tamara Kotevska on The Tale of SilyanDocumentary Magazine Music as Nourishment: Max Richter on Scoring HamnetFilmmaker Magazine "Making films should be as easy as breathing": Apichatpong Weerasethakul on his short filmsTalking Shorts Existential Rave: Kangding Ray on Scoring “Sirāt”Filmmaker Magazine “The Best Thing for Coppola Would Be to Have Zero Budget”: Mike Figgis on MegadocFilmmaker Magazine "My real job is watching movies": Alexander PayneLocarno Pardo “The Best is Always Zero Budget”: David Verbeek on The Wolf, the Fox, and the LeopardFilmmaker Magazine Sri Lankan artist challenges Swiss museums over looted heritageSwissinfo A Huge Shawarma With Everything: Radu Jude on DraculaIn Review Online The Periphery is Never the Problem: Oleksiy Radynski on Special OperationIn Review Online Between a Terrorist and a Saint: Óliver Laxe on SirâtIn Review Online Creating Composed Chaos: DP Jasper Wolf on BabygirlFilmmaker Magazine "Filmmaking is an Instinctive Process": Alfonso CuarónLocarno Pardo A Conversation with Alice LoweLocarno Pardo "A Transformation of Anger into Beauty": Mohammad Rasoulof on The Seed of the Sacred FigLocarno Pardo On Body and Soul: Sergei Loznitsa on State FuneralMUBI Notebook Rome, Open City: A Conversation with Abel FerraraSenses of Cinema Inside the Small Research Department: Radu JudeTalking Shorts Deep Listening, Quiet Defiance: Aileen YeTalking Shorts “Finding the Right Distance”: Gianfranco Rosi on Below the CloudsDocumentary Magazine

Reviews

Features and Essays