Emily Ansenk to become new director of Eye Filmmuseum
The current Holland Festival director will take over leadership of the Amsterdam film museum in February 2027.
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Emily Ansenk will become director and chief executive of Eye Filmmuseum on 1 February 2027. She will succeed Bregtje van der Haak, who left in the spring; interim director John Middelweerd will remain in post until Ansenk arrives.
Eye’s supervisory board appointed Ansenk following a selection procedure. Ansenk has led the Holland Festival since 2019. Before that, she was director of Kunsthal Rotterdam and the Scheringa Museum for Realism.
Ansenk says she wants to focus on Eye’s artistic direction, strategy and organisational challenges.
The appointment follows a period of reorganisation and financial pressure at Eye. Van der Haak left in April 2026 after a restructuring was carried out under her leadership. Middelweerd has held the position on an interim basis since then.
According to the announcement, the supervisory board sees Ansenk as an executive with experience in both museums and festivals. Her career has included public programming, fundraising, education and the development of new cultural activities.
Ansenk says she wants to use her experience for Eye’s artistic direction, strategy and organisational challenges. She describes the collection and the museum’s two buildings as important starting points for the period ahead.
The new director will not start for several months. Middelweerd was appointed interim director. Ansenk herself identifies the artistic direction, strategy and organisation as areas of focus.
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Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The appointment and start date were reported by a recent trade publication, but had not yet been updated on the Eye staff page consulted. The text has therefore been limited to what the appointment report and official background confirm.
- confirmed Emily Ansenk will become director and chief executive of Eye Filmmuseum on 1 February 2027. — Fonk reports the appointment, start date and selection by the supervisory board. source
- confirmed Ansenk has been director and chief executive of the Holland Festival since 2019. — The recent appointment report includes this career information. source
- confirmed Bregtje van der Haak left in the spring of 2026 and John Middelweerd became interim director. — Eye described her departure and the interim appointment in March 2026. source
- uncertain Eye has come through financial pressure and reorganisation. — The official source consulted confirms the restructuring, but this article gives no current financial figures. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: The new director is at the beginning of a new period in which the financial forecast for 2026 is promising.Now: The appointment follows a period of reorganisation and financial pressure at Eye. (The financial forecast came from an appointment announcement, but could not be independently confirmed and has therefore been toned down.)
Editor's note
The appointment and start date were reported by Fonk; on the Eye staff page consulted, Eye has not yet confirmed the new appointment. The background on the previous director’s departure comes from an earlier official Eye statement.Sources
- Emily Ansenk nieuwe directeur-bestuurder Eye Filmmuseum — Fonk
- Het team — Eye Filmmuseum
- Directeur Bregtje van der Haak stopt bij Eye Filmmuseum — Eye Filmmuseum