Leiden University Celebrates Mark Lindenberg and Ieke van Dam as Metje Postma Award Winners

On the closing night of LUVE Fest, the Masters’ graduation film festival for Visual Ethnography students, the jury announced the winners of the Metje Postma Awards – the Multimodal Incentive Grant for Alumni and the Excellence in Visual & Multimodal Ethnography Thesis Prize.

Echoes of the Silent Roots

In a growing tradition of auto-ethnographic studies/films that seek to understand the workings and impact of past and present circumstances on the author, the filmmaking process serves as a vehicle, a form of mediation that enables a new relationship that might not otherwise be possible. The footage shows his parents’ willingness and openness to engage with the project, but also how Mark’s initiative as a son offers a way of bridging the gap between them.

In addition to the prize money, Mark will receive mentorship from Metje Postma, who notes, “As with many such autobiographical documentaries, the quality will largely depend on the author’s honest quest not to blame his parents alone for their behaviour, but to delve deeper into the values of that generation and its environment as they played out in a period of vulnerability due to environmental and political changes.”

Krumhuk: Kingdom or Community

Shaped by a history of colonialism, genocide and apartheid, Namibia has faced the challenge of reconciling its diverse population. Central to this reconciliation process is the redistribution of land from white owners to previously disadvantaged groups. This ethnographic film presents a case study of Krumhuk Farm, a commercial farm no longer owned by a single family but by a non-profit Section 21 company. By exploring the residents’ sense of belonging to the land and the community, the film argues that it is not enough to use land ownership as a measure of reconciliation.

The jury praised Ieke’s careful ethnographic research and the film’s open, respectful exploration of a complex and relevant issue. The filmmaker engages with diverse participants to understand what the farm means to them and how they perceive the owners’ reform efforts. Although the aim is not fully realised and perspectives differ, the film embraces open-endedness and creates a multi-layered story about building new solidarities amidst post-colonial inequality in Namibia. The cinematography, with its quiet handheld shots, captures the landscape, daily farming and community life. The film presents a carefully crafted visual ethnography of a highly relevant issue set against the backdrop of post-colonial transformation.

Special Mention for Muriel Kruize

The jury also awarded a Special Mention to Muriel Kruize. Her auto-ethnographic film ‘Shifting Sands’ explores the experiences of several long-term residents of the Outer Banks of North Carolina as they navigate the changes associated with overdevelopment and gentrification. As these communities face massive changes to their built and natural landscapes, social systems, livelihoods and the perceived character of their home, they are increasingly pressured to physically relocate. For those who manage to stay, their environment is being radically transformed as small businesses are replaced by large corporations and the sense of tight-knit community is threatened by roving tourist populations. The film highlights various practices of resilience and resistance that the people of the Outer Banks use to maintain a strong love and respect for their home.

The jury praised this compelling film for addressing the pressing global issue of deeply rooted communities being displaced by large-scale real estate investment. It offers a fascinating glimpse into a rapidly changing part of American life, showing the loss of local architecture to corporate development and capturing a deep love of the land and sea. With strong cinematography, effective pacing and “move-along” shots that follow the protagonists through the landscape, the film visually and aurally illustrates the profound changes in the environment.