Eye’s Managing Director Bregtje van der Haak to Step Down

The Board of Trustees will take the necessary time to appoint a successor, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. John Middelweerd, who is already affiliated with Eye as a financial advisor, has been appointed Interim Managing Director. Van der Haak will remain available until 1 April to ensure a careful and smooth transition.

Guided by her conviction that social relevance and a dynamic connection between collection and presentation are essential, Van der Haak has made a significant contribution to Eye’s position as a leading film institute, both nationally and internationally. During her tenure, exhibitions such as Tilda Swinton – Ongoing and Eye(s) Open – New Perspectives on Colonial Film Heritage were realised. Retrospectives were dedicated to filmmakers including Akira Kurosawa and the Coen Brothers, and the feature film The Vanishing (George Sluizer, NL/FR 1988) was re-released and restored by Eye. Another important milestone was the opening of the permanent, free-to-access Animation Gallery. These projects reflect Eye’s public mission, with a strong emphasis on dialogue, authorship, and connection. Van der Haak also initiated new collaborations with festivals such as CinemAsia and Africadelic, and strengthened international relationships with sister institutions, promoting the sustainable exchange of exhibitions.

Marc van Warmerdam, Chair of the Board of Trustees:

“The Board of Trustees would like to thank Bregtje for her tireless work and impassioned commitment during challenging times. She has guided Eye through a profound but necessary reorganisation. Within the more clearly defined vision of the Living Archive, Eye now enters a new phase of implementation. This phase will focus on organisational stability and the strengthening of heritage tasks and public engagement. Key priorities include embracing a multiplicity of voices, increasing public impact — particularly among young audiences — and ensuring the preservation, management and reuse of the renowned collection. Special attention will be given to analogue film culture and Dutch film.”

Bregtje van der Haak:

“Eye Filmmuseum is a unique institution, sustained by the wonderful and dedicated people who work there and by its enthusiastic visitors. I wish Eye a stable future in which the museum continues to be a welcoming meeting place for film lovers of all kinds, a place of encounters where the past, present and future of film are constantly recombined in new and inspiring ways. In the past three years, our team has made great strides, with passion and commitment, towards assuring the future of Eye. Now, the time is ripe for a new leadership to consolidate this. The foundation has been laid.”