Program 2026

What to expect at the 2026 TREFF festival?

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Screenings

At this educational film festival, we will show films that are connected to education in some way. The filmmakers and/or educators behind the films will present their projects and the pedagogical thought behind the films. After each screening there will be a Q & A where the audience can ask questions.

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Pedagogical background

TREFF is not only a film festival, but also an arena for finding inspiration for teaching practices and discussing how to combine film with learning. We want to explore the pedagogical potential of every film. Because of this the audience won’t just see a film but might also find some new ideas for their teaching.

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Keynotes

In addition to screenings and the presentations of the films we will this year have 2 professional key notes that will speak about film in education. This is something that makes us, not just a festival, but also a conference with a platform for learning and inspiration.

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Awards

At TREFF  we want both learning and film to be in focus. Therefore, we will also give recognition to the contributions that best exemplifies this . There will be a jury of professionals in the field that will decide who will be awarded prizes within various categories.

Screenings 2026

The screenings for TREFF 2026 will be announced in December 2025.

Program from TREFF 2024

Keynotes

At our festival we have invited some keynote speakers to participate. Their common ground is their expertise in education and film, and they will contribute with their knowledge within the field. Read more about this year’s keynotes here.

Jack Koumi, GB

Expert in Video-based Learning

Jack Koumi is a leading figure in multimedia learning, with over 20 years of experience as a video producer at BBC Open University. He is also an accomplished author, known for his influential book Designing Video and Multimedia for Open and Flexible Learning. Koumi has conducted 100+ workshops across 40+ countries and currently teaches scriptwriting for instructional videos at the University of the Philippines OU. At TREFF, he will present the keynote Pedagogic Video Design Principles, sharing insights into creating impactful educational media.

Matt Pierce, US

Video creator, podcast host and marketing leader, TechSmith

Matthew Pierce is a video creator, podcast host, and marketing leader at TechSmith. He leads content and growth marketing efforts and hosts The Visual Lounge, a show focused on visual communication at work. With a background in instructional design and customer education, he brings over a decade of experience helping others teach, engage, and communicate more effectively through video.

What can educators learn from YouTube and TikTok creators? More than we might think. His keynote session explores how simple creator techniques – like pacing, story, and relevance – can help make educational video more engaging, more human, and more effective. No perfection required – just connection.

Meet the 2026 TREFF jury

TREFF is a biennial educational film festival organized by Result at UiT. To ensure a comprehensive evaluation of video-based learning, we have assembled a diverse jury of 5 members (sometimes 6) representing the full spectrum film-focused educational experience. This panel integrates vital perspectives from students, ed-tech experts, subject specialists, educators, and media producers.

The festival concludes with an award ceremony on the final day, recognizing the contributions that best succeed in professionally bridging pedagogical practice with filmmaking.

Terje Bergli, senior advisor Result, UiT

Terje Bergli is a senior EdTech advisor and filmmaker at Result (Resource center for teaching, learning and technology), UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Terje is also the program director for TREFF, and he has been working with education technology and digital media production in education for 20 years. Early on he was an educator within the media and film field at secondary school and in higher education. He is also an animator, motion graphic designer and has worked as an editor for NRK, the national broadcaster in Norway.

Dr. Susanne B. Unger, university of Munich

Susanne B. Unger is a lecturer and program coordinator at the Rachel Carson Center for Environmental Studies at the University of Munich, where she manages the Environmental Studies Certificate Program. She earned her Ph.D. in linguistic anthropology from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, studying the role of films in civic education for German youth.

With a strong background in media, Susanne has co-taught filmmaking workshops, worked at various film festivals across Germany, and trained university instructors at the Technical University Munich. Recently, her documentary work has shifted to radio and podcasts, focusing on environmental issues and human-animal relationships. She is thrilled to be part of TREFF this year.

Ingrid Spildo Nordhuus, senior advisor UiB

National curator for Viten-TV – a new, open streaming platform for research dissemination from the higher education sector, developed by four central educational institutions to make knowledge accessible to everyone – without advertising, algorithms or login. Ingrid has extensive experience from the film and TV industry. She started for the University of Bergen as a film producer. Today, she manages the daily operations of Viten-TV and coordinates the collaboration between the institutions. Ingrid is passionate about communicating research through moving images.

Kristian Stave, Student UiT

Kristian gives the jury an important perspective as the student representative. He is a third-year bachelor student of history who has been very active in student government and student organisations, and has worked as the educational officer for the student parliament during the academic year 2024/25. He has been particularly focused on the emergence of AI and on ensuring that educational institutions see it as an opportunity and a resource, rather than using it as an excuse to return to outdated grading methods.

Being the father of a baby who has just started kindergarten, Kristian is aware of the stress that a strict schedule of exams and assignments can create when combined with daily life, and of the opportunity that film provides in releasing some of this pressure.

Kirsten Gilliland, Research assistent professor at California Polytechnic State University

Dr. Kirsten Gilliland, Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt

Kristen M. Gilliland, Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discoveryand President of the non-profit 22 Forever. President and Executive Director – 22 Forever. Professor Emeritus, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Formerly a chemistry professor, Dr. Gilliland redirected her career toward mental health education after tragically losing her son to an accidental overdose in 2019.

Bringing a unique perspective to educational media, she developed the multi-award-winning documentary Speaking Through Me (2023), specifically designed for youth audiences. Her work merges scientific rigor with advocacy, focusing on developing middle school brain health curriculumsand delivering impactful presentations on neuroplasticity and substance use prevention.

Her film was sceened at TREFF 2024 and won the audience award and got the jury’s honorable mention, so we are pleased to have her back at our festival for the newest edition.

Previous jury members:

Ellen Sethov, Oslo Met (2024)
Kelsey Brannan, Premiere Gal (YouTube) (2024)
Matt Pierce, Techsmith (2024)
Dr. Steven Hayward, Collorado College (2024)

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