The Board of Directors of Film Fest Gent has appointed Martijn Bal as Managing Director of the festival in Ghent. He will be assuming his duties officially on 1 October 2015.
Chairperson Claire Tillekaerts is very happy that this crucial vacancy was successfully filled in time for the 42nd edition of Film Fest Gent. "The Board of Directors is confident that Martijn Bal, with his love of film and strong reputation within the industry, will be a tremendous asset for Film Fest Gent. The entire festival team is looking forward to joining him and Artistic Director Patrick Duynslaegher & programmer Wim De Witte in ensuring that the next editions continue to run smoothly."
Martijn Bal is very much looking forward to taking up his new duties: "Film Fest Gent will continue to support quality cinema and the talent behind it. We offer a unique platform where a wide audience can discover these films and their makers in a genuine festival atmosphere. The festival is also “the place to be” for professionals. More than ever, film as an experience is a key element. Film Fest Gent is ideally suited to fulfilling that role. Moreover the World Soundtrack Awards will continue to exude its international allure. I look forward to reinforce the strong position the festival holds within the fast-moving film and media landscape, and to move forward together with the team to take on new challenges."
The forty-eight-year-old from Ghent already has a rich career in the audiovisual sector behind him. After studying at the Conservatory of Antwerp, Bal’s first jobs - before he discovered TV - were in the newspaper business and the music industry. From 1989 onwards, he worked as a producer in various production houses including iDTv and Kladaradatch!. At both VTM and VRT he was on the programming side as the main entertainment and assistant network manager. He caught the digital bug when he got a taste at the Medialaan Digital Media division, where he launched new digital channels and a built up solid range of Video on Demand under the brand name ‘iWatch’. In 2012 Bal started as Senior Creative Producer at the production company De Filistijnen and later that year was asked to become director of the Media Innovation Centre at iMinds.
The 42nd edition of Film Fest Gent will run from 13 to 24 October at Kinepolis Gent, Studio Skoop, Sphinx, Vooruit, KASKcinema, Bijloke and ‘t Kuipke. Information and tickets at www.filmfestival.be.