ELSBETH FRAANJE (1979) is a creative documentary director, researcher and programmer. CBC labeled her documentary Sexual Healing as one of the 9 films not to miss at Hot Docs Canada. In her author driven, often stilistic films she shows compelling stories of ‘ordinary’ people and how these reflect on daily society. Indirectly and mildy comical, she puts down serious questions about our own life’s struggles. Her films are shown and won awards at festivals such as Hotdocs, IDFA, CPH:Dox, Jihlava, Krakow, DMZdocs. Highway Confessions (2017) won the Dutch Academy Award. The documentary Highway Confessions (2017) won the Dutch Academy Award. She is an alumnus of the IDFA Academy and Kids & Docs Workshop.

“I like to make films that scour and reveal and I try to portray unexpected stories in an appealing way. With my films I want the audience to reflect on ‘big questions’ with a lighthearted approach.”