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29 Jan – 8 Feb 2026
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Michiel van Bakel

Michiel van BAKEL (1966, Netherlands) studied astronomy and psychology for several years before he chose to pursue a career in autonomous visual art. Van Bakel has made films and videos as well as sculptures and interactive multimedia installations. He combines the elementary foundations of photography and video with digital animation techniques. While his approach is technical, his work focuses on people in their surroundings, often resulting in a poetic reality. He lives and works in Rotterdam.

Filmography

(selection) Hovering over Wasteland (1998, short), 5 AM (2002, short), Narcissus Narcosis (2002-2003, instal), Equestrian (2003, short), Corrente/Flow (2004, instal), Zinc Garden (2004, short), Skywalker (2005, short), An Atomical Theatre (2005, short), Panopticon (2006, short), Time Ring (2006, instal, co-dir), Zarathustra an der Donau (2006, short), Inner Machine (2007, short), Ozymandias (2008, short), Collision (2008, short), Combat (2009, short), Sensibel (2010, short), Walking City Redox (2011, short), Edison Bay (2013, short), Fly-over (2013. short), Hortus (Magnolia) (2013, short), Noctambulist (2014, short), Zen Garden (2014), Flood (2014, short), Poppies (2014, short), Multicolor Red Granite (2015, short), Jaagpad/Towing path (2015, short), Mill in Sunlight (2015, short), Road Trip to the Dutch Mountains (2016, short), Forest Paths (forget Heidegger) (2018, short), Hours of Glass (2019, short), Re-Sculpted in Time: Sanatorium Zonnestraal (2020, short), P-9830 (2021, short), Bogwaters (2022)

More info: Michiel van Bakel

Michiel van Bakel at IFFR

  • P-9830

    The natural and technological landscapes of the Rotterdam port area, captured with a handblown-glass camera eye.

  • Equestrian

    A refined play with pieces of time in big-city space.

  • Edison Bay

    The passing of time in the Port of Rotterdam. Experimental film, animated from 25 angles with the aid of several cameras.

  • Sensibel

    Experimental film with animated photos showing sound and vibrations. On the impossibility of silence, from no-man’s-land to Rotterdam.Screened befo

  • Forest Paths

    Animated black-and-white still photographs reveal movement and light on the forest paths that would otherwise remain invisible to the human ey

  • Bogwaters

    Available on Festival Scope Pro from 26 January 9:00 CET to 14 February 9:00 CET