Tessa van der Riet (Amsterdam, 1996) is a (documentary) director and photographer currently based in Barcelona. Her work touches on several important themes, such as identity and social structure, but Tessa is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of ethnic and cultural and stratification and finding ways to connect people. In doing so, she never tries to lose sight of aesthetics. Lately, she has been particularly concerned with issues around girls' and women's emancipation.

 

She discovered her love for documentary film in 2014, while studying basic Directing, Camera and Montage at Open Studio, Amsterdam. After this, she obtained her propaedeutic certificate for the Bachelor of Applied Psychology and followed a Film & Audiovisual Media course. She found out that her heart lies with directing and cinema and decided to take the leap to the Film Academy. In 2022 she graduated as a documentary director from the Netherlands Filmacademy. 

Besides her academic career, she explored different cultures, including her roots in Curaçao and Suriname. From this background, Tessa developed her own distinctive style in telling stories through symbolism and by capturing vulnerable moments.

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Besides documentaries, she's interested in music videos, (fashion) editorials and commercials. 

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