LEFF: The Leiden Essay Film Festival (2026) | 19- 22 September | Leiden

The Leiden Essay Film Festival (LEFF) returns in September 2026 for its second edition. Building on the success of its inaugural edition in 2025, LEFF returns with four days of screenings and events dedicated to the essay film. The festival will take place from 19 to 22 September at Cinema Kijkhuis and Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden.

LEFF is an initiative of Leiden University’s Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in collaboration with the Discursive Film Foundation, the lectorate FILM of the University of the Arts The Hague and ReCNTR. The festival is produced in cooperation with Cinema Kijkhuis / Bioscopen Leiden and Museum De Lakenhal.

About LEFF

LEFF is the first festival in the Netherlands dedicated entirely to the essay film. This genre has been gaining popularity in recent years among filmmakers and cinephiles alike. Essay films are increasingly featured at festivals, studied by film scholars, and practiced innovatively by filmmakers both in the West and the Global South. Like written essays, film essays are made by both artists and scholars. In their very diverse films, they explore the world from personal perspectives. Essay films are not only personal but also reflective. The filmmakers think critically about the world and about how they perceive it. They blend fiction and non-fiction and fluidly combine a wide range of styles and genres. Their adventurous urge to ask questions goes hand in hand with a free-spirited exploration of possible answers.

2026 Programme

Sa 19 Sep, 14:00 – 18:00: Opening. In the Auditorium, Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden.

Su 20 Sep, 10:00 – 23:59: More than 30 essay films in two theatres, shown in blocks of 2 to 2.5 hours. With introductions, Q&As, and discussions with filmmakers and commentators. At Cinema Kijkhuis, Leiden.

Mo 21 Sep, 10:00 – 23:59: More than 30 essay films in two theatres, shown in blocks of 2 to 2.5 hours. With introductions, Q&As, and discussions with filmmakers and commentators. At Cinema Kijkhuis, Leiden.

Tu 22 Sep, 10:00 – 23:59: More than 30 essay films in two theatres, shown in blocks of 2 to 2.5 hours. With introductions, Q&As, and discussions with filmmakers and commentators. At Cinema Kijkhuis, Leiden.

More information about the programme will follow in the coming months — but for now, save the date!

Time & Place

19 – 22 September, 2026

19 September, 14:00 – 18:00 at Museum De Lakenhal, Oude Singel 32 2312 RA Leiden
20 -22 September at Cinema Kijkhuis, Vrouwenkerksteeg 10 2312 WS Leiden