The Hungarian Institute of Ethnography and Anthropology of UBB Cluj and the Tranzit Foundation present this year’s open seminar of the Film and Anthropology course:
BACKSTAGE
Professional secrets of anthropological and documentary film festivals and institutions
16:00 Discussion with PLÁJÁS ILDIKO ZONGA about Leiden University and her journey there
17:00 Nikki Koppes: What’s Up Girl? (2020, colour, English subtitles, 28 min)
Laura Molsbergen: Moving Towards Visibility (2020, colour, English subtitles, 32 min.)
Discussions about the films (in Hungarian and English)
Guests: Plájás Ildikó Zonga, lecturer in the MA programme in Visual Anthropology at Leiden University and Laura Molsbergen, visual anthropologist and filmmaker.
Moderator: Elekes Bernadett-Hanna, Cultural Studies student
Seminar coordinated by Könczei Csilla and Csiki Réka.

Free event, registration required.
Registration: https://forms.gle/izi5pgxrDAiFCAmz5

Plájás Ildikó Zonga:
She studied at the Faculty of Ethnography and Anthropology at Babeș-Bolyai University where she obtained her BA in Ethnography and Anthropology, then she completed an MA in Complex Cultural Studies at the Faculty of European Studies. Subsequently she was a student in the PhD program in Cultural Studies at the University of Pécs, and then completed the MA program in Visual Anthropology at Leiden University, the Netherlands, in 2013-2014. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Political Science at Leiden University and a lecturer of Visual Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.
Her student film Swamp Dialogues, filmed in the Danube Delta, has had numerous screenings with large audiences and won the award for best student film at the Astra Documentary Film Festival.

Leiden University:
Leiden University, the oldest university in the Netherlands, was founded by Prince Wilhelm of Orania I in 1575. The institution became famous during the Dutch Golden Age, when students from all over Europe came to the Dutch Republic for its intellectual tolerance. The university is internationally oriented and is a member of Europaeum, the League of European Research Universities.
The MA program in Visual Anthropology emphasises a practical and empirical approach, requiring students to take an active role in acquiring audiovisual tools.
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/…/visual-ethnography

Nikki Koppes: What’s Up Girl?
What’s Up Girl? is about the street harassment of women. Walking the streets of Amsterdam we listen to the experiences of four harassed young women, after which Nikki talks to four young men about the issue. The film aims to start a conversation about the everyday reality and naturalisation of street harassment.
Nikki Koppes is a 28 year old beginning filmmaker from Amsterdam who just graduated as a visual anthropologist. After finishing her bachelors in Media and Culture at the University of Amsterdam she worked as a freelance videographer, all the while developing her beer- and ticket selling skills at multiple arthouse cinemas in Amsterdam. After starting her (pre)masters in Visual Ethnography she made her first short documentary, called Wat Mij Mij Maakt (‘What Makes Me Me’) together with fellow anthropologist filmmaker Sarah Vasen. Nikki specializes in feminism and sustainability and hopes to contribute to debates surrounding these topics by making film.

Laura Molsbergen: Moving Towards Visibility
We are in Tanzania, where through three boy protagonists we enter into the life of a community that is fulfilled by their love of dance. Movement can mean many things to the viewer, it’s more than a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. At the same time, we learn that this type of dance culture is not appreciated or supported by the Tanzanian government and society at large. Can they get into the spotlight without the help of outsiders?
Laura Molsbergen is a young, creative human being based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She finished the minor Visual Anthropology during the Bachelor Cultural Anthropology and Developmental Sociology at the University of Amsterdam; and she did an internship at VPRO Metropolis in Hilversum. She recently completed her Masters Visual Ethnography in Leiden. Combining her passions in spoken word, dance and documentary filmmaking, Laura always explores rhythms that synchronize and clash as a metaphor for human relationships; as well as her own position and blind spots when she meets another culture or person.