Today, Metrograph announces Inge de Leeuw as their newly appointed Director of Programming, who joins the New York-based company after working as a programmer of English-language titles at International Film Festival Rotterdam for over a decade, where she introduced European audiences to filmmakers like Kogonada, Terence Nance and Eliza Hitman. (Notably, the aforementioned filmmakers each previously appeared on our 25 New Faces of Independent Film list).

“Metrograph is a family built around film curation—daring, inspiring, personal programs that have driven our growth since we opened in 2016,” said Alexander Olch, Metrograph’s Founder, via a press release. “These countless detailed choices accumulate into our signature cinematic experience, which we are incredibly excited to see Inge lead. I’m thrilled to welcome Inge to our family and see her build her team with Lydia, as they create original, thought-provoking programs that are already inspiring our New York and growing nationwide community.”

In her new role, she oversees the launch of Metrograph Expanded—a new programming concept that will incorporate facets of Metrograph’s physical location and its at-home streaming service—alongside programmer Lydia Ogwang, who joined the Metrograph team in 2022. According to the press release, this new curatorial branch will encompass:

“audiovisual art installations in the 7 Ludlow Street lobby to specially crafted menus in its Commissary restaurant and bar to exclusive SVOD selections, the dynamic programming will span multiple disciplines—including visual art, film, and food—in thematic alignment with film curation.”

Metrograph Expanded will debut this Friday, March 17 with the series Botanical Imprints, which will feature a “plant-themed takeover” of the cinema.  Special screenings include Leandro Listorti’s Herbaria (2022), Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and the program Samples From: Encounters Over Several Plants curated by Counter-Encounters, with many showings featuring Q&As. An audiovisual installation entitled Landscape Series #1 (2013) by Vietnamese video artist Nguyen Trinh Thi will be installed in the building’s lobby, and a plant-based food and botanical cocktail menu will be available at Metrograph’s adjoining restaurant Commissary.

“I am honored to have been appointed as Director of Programming at Metrograph,” said de Leeuw, “where I will have the opportunity to focus on my passion for cinema, interdisciplinary curation, and collaborative leadership. I am excited to work together with Lydia and the rest of the exceptional programming team to create cinematic experiences that challenge conventions, inspire our audiences in new and exciting ways, and create a home for the filmmaking community at Metrograph.”

Previously, de Leeuw curated programs and installations for Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Singapore International Film Festival, Indie Memphis Film Festival, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, KinoForum in São Paulo and Ghetto Film School (NY/LA/London), among others. She also worked with fashion brans such as Prada and Mason Margiela, programming in-house films in site-specific installations that included works by Kenneth Anger, agnès b., and the Quay Brothers. 

“Inge has built an international reputation on the film festival circuit as an ambitious, innovative programmer,” added Christian Grass, Metrograph CEO. “She has a fresh perspective that treats film curation as a springboard for collaboration and cross-disciplinary exploration. Her work has intersected with architecture, fashion, visual art, digital culture, and social practice, and she has an impressive track record of bringing communities together through public programs. We’re thrilled to welcome her to New York, and to see how she shapes Metrograph with her distinctive vision.”