2024 Festival Theme

An alumna of ArtEZ University of the Arts in Zwolle, The Netherlands, Karlijn is a Dutch actress, writer, and director. She graduated in 2014 and appeared in several TV, film, and theatre productions. Karlijn founded the film collective MARMERMIJN in 2017 along with her passion for acting. In MARMERMIJN, she works as an actress, creative producer, and writer, and has created several short films, including ‘Inbreuk’, ‘Verkocht!’, and ‘Uit de Hand’. In 2020, Karlijn co-founded Klub Karmijn with her friend Willemijn de Jonge. Under the banner of Klub Karmijn, Karlijn directed a short film ‘Quarterlife Cruisers’. Karlijn released her directorial debut film, ‘LOS’ in 2023 which won international accolades. She continues to work in the film and theatre industry, exploring her creativity as an actress, writer, and director. She has a fascination for films that use parallels to address a current theme that is recognizable to everyone. By combining recognizable everyday themes with a supernatural or slightly absurd narrative style, she creates an exciting and challenging way of storytelling. ‘Write what you know’ is her motto. As a director, she finds that the themes in her stories must resonate with something from her own life.

Willemijn, a well-known Dutch actress, studied at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Zwolle. In 2009, she founded a theater group called VOLT, where she worked as an actress and creator. Her love for acting took her to various theaters, including Theatre Gnaffel, Theatergroep de Jonge Honden, and De Stadsproductie, where she collaborated with directors like Ko van den Bosch. During one production, she met Karlijn, and together they formed Klub Karmijn. They regularly produce theater plays and short films. Their short film “Quaterlife Cruisers” was showcased at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, while another short film titled ‘LOS’ has been screened at numerous festivals and received several awards. Willemijn has also appeared in ‘Taakstraf,’ a short film by Jelle Tigchelaar. Her latest project is ‘Deathbed,’ a short thriller film directed by Fokke Baarssen. Directors praise Willemijn for her strength and versatility as a performer. She’s described as someone who fully immerses herself in her roles, with impeccable timing, infectious energy, and a nuanced approach to her emotions. Her acting is marked by its authenticity and inventiveness.