Intimacy coordination – an emerging profession on the fast lane

From 22-29 September, the Netherlands Film Festival takes place in Utrecht, where the latest Dutch film productions are shown. One of those productions is the documentary Mag ik je aanraken? (May I touch you?) by Tamar van den Dop, in which Dutch actors are interviewed about their experience with intimacy on film sets. Next to the screenings, many activities about this subject take place during the festival. Together with intimacy coordinator Markoesa Hamer, Van den Dop will be a panel speaker in a talk about the male gaze in the film industry and ways to make the sector safer.

While the 73rd edition of the Berlinale Film Festival took place all over the city in February 2023, DutchCulture put intimacy coordination in the spotlight. With support from the Netherlands Embassy in Berlin, the Netherlands Film Fund, and the Dutch and German Creative Europe Desks, DutchCulture hosted a networking dinner about intimacy coordination for 28 film professionals, including actors, intimacy coordinators, filmmakers, policymakers and film fund professionals from Germany and the Netherlands. We talked about matters such as how to embody and stage intimacy in a film and how to carry out this type of non-verbal storytelling successfully and professionally, without running the risk of harming or traumatizing the crew. 

The idea of our networking event was to connect, reflect and deepen conversations about intimacy on set, and exchange experiences and knowledge among like-minded film professionals. Four intimacy coordinators (Barbara Rohm and Chun Mei Tan from Germany, Cynthia Abma and Markoesa Hamer from the Netherlands) introduced the evening with powerful speeches about the significance of their profession in the cultural sector and the change and support that is needed from the industry. During the dinner, there was plenty of opportunity to network and stimulate ideas for the future. As one guest stated: "We should implement intimacy coordination early on in the careers of filmmakers. We will incorporate it in our training of new filmmakers".

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It was an inspiring evening where connections were made between the Dutch and German film sectors and steps were taken towards more visibility and support for the profession of intimacy coordinator. We brought together incredibly inspiring people, who filled the room not only with their expertise and common passion for film but also with a lot of trust, warmth and intimate conversations. It was extremely educational to bring together colleagues from the Dutch and German film industries and to develop new ways of learning from each other and working together. As dinner guest and Dutch actress Joy Verberk says: ''It was wonderful to discuss these topics with such a mixed group of people, from different backgrounds, disciplines, genders, and to discover and confirm that we all encounter the exact same issues and crave the same change.''

Afterwards, DutchCulture met with two of our dinner guests, intimacy coordinators Markoesa Hamer and Cynthia Abma, for an intimate brunch in Amsterdam and to create an explainer about intimacy coordination.

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But how did it all begin? Since the #MeToo movement in 2017, actors and actresses started speaking out about sexual harassment and unsafe environments in the film industry. Ever since there has been an increasing demand for intimacy coordination on film sets. However, intimacy coordination is not only about preventing transgressive (sexual) behaviour on film sets but also about respecting actors’ and actresses’ privacy and personal boundaries.

In 2018, the British Movement Director and intimacy coordinator pioneer Ita O'Brien developed guidelines on staging sex and intimate scene. Her expertise was used in the Netflix series Sex Education (2019-2023), one of the first big productions working with an intimacy coordinator. Since, the profession has become increasingly acknowledged and has been used during film productions in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. Networks such as the European Intimacy Practitioners Guild (IPG) and the American Intimacy Professionals Association (IPA) were founded.

In recent years, the relatively new profession of intimacy coordination has also reached Germany and the Netherlands. In 2019, the first certified intimacy coordinator in Germany, Julia Effertz, brought the profession to the country and cultural sector. In 2021, BIK, the association for intimacy coordination and fight choreography, was founded in Munich. During the Berlinale 2023, BIK organized the first international industry meeting for intimacy coordinators from Europe and beyond. Important to mention is the Culture Change Hub, based in Berlin and led by Barbara Rohm, the first professional training to become an intimacy coordinator in the DACH region.

In the Netherlands, similar efforts have been made to take intimacy coordination to the next level. In 2021, Dutch actress Markoesa Hamer started working as an intimacy coordinator in the Dutch film industry. Together with Marjan Lammers, Zarah Bracht, Anna van Schijndel and Cynthia Abma, she founded the Dutch Intimacy Coordination Association, to share knowledge and stimulate the sector to make use of intimacy coordinators. They give workshops, incorporate intimacy coordination in the Dutch film education system and work as intimacy coordinators on Dutch film and TV sets. At the moment, they are dedicated to writing guidelines tailored to the Dutch film sector.

Since this profession is a relatively new one and developments take place in various countries, it is vital to facilitate international exchange. Sharing knowledge between different countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, makes it possible to identify the status quo of intimacy coordination in each country, and to discuss difficulties and ways to bring the profession to the next level in terms of policy and structural support.

Are you a cultural professional interested in an international collaboration with Germany? Feel free to contact our Germany Advisor Astrid Mörk or check our Germany country page.

Are you a film professional in need of advice? Feel free to contact our Creative Europe MEDIA Advisor Andrea Posthuma or go to our Creative Europe Desk website.