Rosabelle Illes: On Visibly Invisible stories

A conversation with the Aruban poet about her cinematic inspiration, based on clips chosen by her and her video performances

20191118095832 1

Information

Date and time Saturday 18 January 2020 20:00 tot 21:00 uur
Location Filmhuis - zaal 1

Aruban writer, poet, spoken word artist Rosabelle Illes loves film and sometimes mentions it in her poetry, stories and videos. The question which images come to mind in relation to her own work, is central in this conversation with moderator Gerlinda Heywegen.

Expected: the film about a long-running television soap opera starring an actor you wouldn't expect, plays the leading role here, alongside Illes. And the fact that Virginia Woolf is important to her and that she dared to write short stories alongside her poems because of her oeuvre, brings her, for example, to The Hours (Stephen Daldry, 2002 after Michael Cunningham's book), the feature film that connects Woolf and her Mrs. Dalloway so beautifully.

Gerlinda Heywegen

(1968) is a programmer, writer, organizer, lecturer and podcaster, mainly on the subject of film and often in combination with literature. Koning Film is the collective of speakers on film that she established. Heywegen's books include The Other Director, about directors of photography; she collaborated with Frans Westra on Passie voor Cinema (Passion for Cinema), which highlights four decades of film screenings in the Netherlands; and she edited and wrote for the film magazine Skrien. Currently, she writes regularly for the websites of the Netherlands Society of Cinematographers and literary magazine Elders.
20241104151105 1

Rosabelle Illes

(Aruba, 1987) is an artist, writer, and performer. She has authored three collections of poetry and short stories and co-authored the multilingual children’s book Hearty. Her work has been published in international journals, and she has performed at literary festivals worldwide, including Colombia, Taiwan, The Netherlands, and New York City. Rosabelle’s art often explores personal enigmas, with meditation revealing insights that manifest as poetry. She holds a PhD in Psychology from Leiden University and is an assistant professor at the University of Aruba. Her upcoming book, Penmanship (2025), blends her passions for psychology and poetry, celebrating the written word in its purest form. Featuring handwritten pieces, the book sparks a conversation about the scientifically proven benefits of handwriting and showcases how poetry can transcend traditional confines of the page to be heard, seen, and worn.
20240820092744 3

Discover

20 May 2026

Get your 2027 tickets!

Get your Early Bird tickets for the big festival nights, Friday & Saturday Night Unlimited!