Welcome to my website:
I am a freelance anthropological documentary filmmaker stills photographer, acrobat and artistic makeup artist.
In order to combine all my skills and passions professionally, I started my own business 'estHERtog productions' in January 2009.
My prime focus is making documentary films. I also make assignment films on a freelance basis.
In addition to this I do performance arts.
Esther Hertog
I was born in 1978 in Amsterdam but lived from the age of twelve to twenty-four in the artist village of Ein-Hod, in Israel. There I studied at a high-school specialized in the arts and worked mostly on artistic makeup and photography. Throughout my life I have traveled a lot, and always brought my camera and makeup kit along.
In 2002 I began a BA in cultural and visual anthropology* studies at Amsterdam and Leiden Universities. I completed my study with a film titled 'Ossama's Dance'. This documentary was screened at several acknowledged international anthropological film-festivals.
Straight after obtaining my BA I started an MA in visual anthropology at the Granada Centre of Manchester University, in the UK. For this study I made several short documentaries, and concluded the MA with a final film and thesis.
Since my MA graduation in October 2007 I have been working on several freelance films. I am currently developing various film projects, and working as a freelancer for the Shoah Visual History Archive. In addition I am engaged in giving acrobatic performances and workshops, and instructing in acroyoga.
*Visual anthropology is a subfield of cultural anthropology mainly concerned with study and production of ethnographic photography, film and new media.