On October 5th, 2017, our dear friend and colleague Wim Castermans passed away. His death was a shock for his partner Vanessa and friends but also for the Offscreen Film Festival.

Wim first started working for Offscreen in 2010 and quickly evolved into a fully- fledged organizer and programmer. His passion for film found an ideal outlet in the festival, which was enhanced by his professionalism, dedication, and talents for writing and networking.

Wim’s smile, generosity and gentle self-mockery disarmed everyone who met him. What do you do when someone indispensable is no longer there? We had no choice but to launch ourselves into this latest Offscreen, hoping to keep the standard high despite his absence. We owe him that.

This entire program is a tribute to Wim, but there will also be a special evening dedi- cated to his memory, which will include a screening of one of his favorite movies: “Mr. Vampire”.