Koen Suidgeest is an accomplished documentary director, writer, and photographer from Amsterdam, born in 1967. He pursued a BA (Hons) from Surrey Institute of Arts & Design (aka WSCAD) in England, which he completed with honors in 1995. Koen initially worked as a cinematographer for numerous corporate projects, commercials, theatrical features, and documentaries before becoming a full-time documentary filmmaker in 2002. His projects revolve around human rights issues, with a particular emphasis on women's rights in the developing world. His ability to get up close and personal with his subjects and observe them without being judgmental is well-known.

One of his earliest documentaries, Casting (2006), was nominated for a Spanish Academy Award (Goya), making him the first Dutch filmmaker to achieve this distinction. Karla's Arrival (2011), his most celebrated work, was selected for over 40 film festivals, broadcast in 14 countries, and received numerous accolades. Suidgeest's recent work, A Family Affair (2015), is a collection of portraits of mothers of gay children in Lebanon, Russia, and Kenya.

Koen Suidgeest is also involved in teaching documentary film in various universities and is a sought-after mentor for international writing and pitching workshops. He has also served on the juries of several film festivals, and recently gave his first-ever TED talk about how babies born on the streets inadvertently end up rescuing their teenage mothers. He is the proud father of two daughters, Paula and Ana, and loves to run and cook in his free time. He is fluent in Dutch, English, Spanish, and French, with a smattering of German.