Niels Putman is the artistic director of Kortfilm.be, an online hub on short films, and chief editor of the independent short film magazine Talking Shorts, the latter of which he co-founded. He’s also part of Avila’s editorial team which offers a curated collection of contemporary and classic Belgian films online and in cinemas.
As a freelance film programmer and curator, Niels is affiliated with Fantoche International Animation Film Festival, Film Fest Gent, and queer film festival PinX, and has contributed as a guest curator to festivals in Quebec City, Dresden, and Poznan.
Niels holds a master’s in Film Studies & Visual Culture at University of Antwerp, and Audiovisual Arts at RITCS, Brussels. His work as a journalist and critic has been published in several Belgian outlets, including De Standaard, Etcetera, and Fantômas. Niels has served on juries at international film events in the likes of Tampere, Cannes, and Festival Regard, and is an official member of the Belgian Film Press Union and FIPRESCI.