International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)

Marjan van der Haar Named New Managing Director of International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_30797" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Marjan van der Haar and Bero Beyer[/caption] Marjan van der Haar, an experienced film industry professional, has been named the new managing director of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) as of October 1, 2018. Most recently, she was the managing director of Film Producers Netherlands (FPN) from 2010 until 2018. Working alongside festival director Bero Beyer, Van der Haar will be charged with the organization and day-to-day operational management of IFFR. This includes financial policy-making, branding and communication, and solidifying subsidies and sponsorships programs. IFFR’s 48th edition takes place from Wednesday January 23, to Sunday, February 3, 2019 Van der Haar, on her new position: “My connection to IFFR goes way back. I fondly remember volunteering at the last festival edition having Hubert Bals at the steering wheel. This great adventure sparked my career in the film industry. Ever since, I’ve been a vigorous defender of the type of soulful and remarkable films IFFR is known for – as a program coordinator at IFFR, in the world of film sales and in representing Dutch producers for FPN. I’m honoured and excited to return to IFFR, a festival that plays an important role in the international film scene while simultaneously being closely intertwined with the thriving city of Rotterdam, both through its audience and local partnerships. I look forward to working together with the team to strengthen IFFR’s position even further as we roll up to the 50th anniversary edition.” Pieter Broertjes, chairman of the board of IFFR: “Marjan brings a lot to the table. Her experience in the film industry and her extensive network are sure to be of high value to the festival. But her open personality is equally important. We’re confident she’s a great fit for the IFFR team and as one half of the festival’s two-person leadership set-up.” Festival director Bero Beyer: “Marjan will be a great asset to IFFR! I’ve known her for quite some time as an ambitious film professional with a heart for our kind of cinema. Together we will continue doing what the festival has always done: giving a voice to daring cinema, promoting innovation and spearheading new distribution models.” He adds: “IFFR’s 50th edition is only a few years away. I look forward to working with Marjan to reach the aspirations we have formulated for our anniversary edition and to consolidate and build on the adventurous festival expansions we have achieved in recent years.” About Marjan van der Haar After finishing her studies in Theatre Science, Film and Television and Cultural Management in Utrecht in 1991, Marjan van der Haar started working at IFFR’s program department. In this role she coordinated the research of films and was responsible for the program’s budget and logistic planning. In 1995, Van der Haar left IFFR and started working in film sales – first as a sales executive at Fortissimo Films from 1995 until 1999, and later as Fortissimo’s general manager from 2000 to 2010. The distribution agency was known for its good taste in arthouse cinema and international reach. During her time at Fortissimo, Van der Haar had a close connection to IFFR, often visiting the festival’s co-production market CineMart as a film professional. From November 2010 until 2018, Van der Haar served as managing director of Film Producers Netherlands, the Dutch association set up to stimulate a dynamic, creative and internationally oriented film industry in the Netherlands. FPN represents the majority of Dutch producers and advances their opportunities worldwide by collaborating with international co-production and distribution partners, among other things. Van der Haar (1964) has two sons and lives in Amsterdam.
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47th International Film Festival Rotterdam Winners – “The Widowed Witch” Wins Hivos Tiger Award

[caption id="attachment_26823" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Netherlands, Rotterdam, 02 February 2018. The 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam – IFFR 2018. IFFR 2018 Award Ceremony. All winners on stage after ceremony. Photo: 31pictures.nl / (c) 2018, www.31pictures.nl[/caption] The Widowed Witch by Cai Chengjie won the prestigious prize – the winner of the Hivos Tiger Competition 2018 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Rami Alayan was awarded the Special Jury Award for exceptional artistic achievement for his screenplay of The Reports on Sarah and Saleem. Gustav Möller’s The Guilty was the audience favorite, and therefore winner of the IFFR Audience Award. The Bright Future Award was picked up by Tiago Melo for his film Azougue Nazaré. This year’s VPRO Big Screen Award went to Nina by Olga Chajdas; the film therefore will be broadcast on Dutch TV and released in Dutch theaters. All Hubert Bals Fund-supported films screening at IFFR 2018 were eligible for the Hubert Bals Fund Audience Award. This year, the award was won by The Reports on Sarah and Saleem by Muayad Alayan. In congratulating all winners, Festival Director Bero Beyer said: “We’re very happy that the strong winners represent the bold spirit of the festival’s entire programming. They are filmmakers, both emerging and established, who use their talent to deliver a new view on our world. As diverse as they are, there seems to be a common thread: the beautiful and human thread of cinema!” Two new awards were presented in 2018. Newsreel 63 – The Train of Shadows by Nika Autor won the Found Footage Award and Joy in People by Oscar Hudson won the Voices Short Audience Award. Two awards from critics’ organisations were presented. The FIPRESCI Award went to Balekempa by Ere Gowda. The KNF Award, given by the Circle of Dutch Film Journalists, was won by Zama by Lucrecia Martel. Nervous Translation by Shireen Seno won the NETPAC Award for best Asian film and the winner of the IFFR Youth Jury Award is The Guilty by Gustav Möller. Complete list of award winners and jury reports
Hivos Tiger Competition
Winner Hivos Tiger Award: The Widowed Witch by Cai Chengjie Jury report: “This year’s Hivos Tiger Award winner is a film of epic dimensions with a narrative that is greater than one person or moment. It takes a feminist viewpoint with a strong central character, who refuses to be a victim. The struggle of her journey is framed in an emotional way that depicts her complexity, while never becoming sentimental, and the film even contains a laconic sense of humour. Its bold vision, created by a lyrical layering of cinematographic elements, makes this film stand out.” Winner Special Jury Award: the screenplay of The Reports on Sarah and Saleem written by Rami Alayan (dir. Muayad Alayan) Jury report: “This well-crafted screenplay shows us four humans, each with their own flaws and desires, who have to face the consequences of their actions in a complicated, divided world. The screenplay intertwines the personal and the political and manages to balance a complex plot with convincing characters. This proves to be the basis for a strong film by a talented director and an excellent cast.”
Bright Future Award
Filmmakers presenting the world or international premiere of their first feature-length film in the Bright Future Main Programme are eligible for the Bright Future Award worth €10,000. Winner: Azougue Nazaré by Tiago Melo Jury report: “For its singular vision, electrifying cinematic language, depiction of the explosive coexistence between good and evil, and for its ability to incorporate supernatural elements in an almost anthropological portrait of a small community, we proudly present the Bright Future Award to Tiago Melo for his film Azougue Nazaré.” Special mention: “What begins as a personal quest gradually transforms into a reflection on loneliness, belonging, and existential homecoming. For this reason, the jury felt compelled to give a special mention to Malene Choi Jensen’s The Return.”
VPRO Big Screen Award
Winner: Nina by Olga Chajdas Jury report: “It was a close call and we’d like to give a special mention to the runner-up, The Guilty by Gustav Möller. But another film ultimately connected with us in a more instinctive way. The winning film is a universal story about love, identity and hope. It’s about internalising society’s expectations and struggling to break free and be true to yourself. The story avoids easy solutions and gives us a somewhat idealised version of the world, thereby avoiding the stereotypical struggles and making it a more personal experience. It’s also visually beautiful with lingering and intimate shots and gives us wonderful performances by the main actors.”
IFFR Audience Award
Winner: The Guilty by Gustav Möller
Hubert Bals Fund Audience Award
Winner: The Reports on Sarah and Saleem by Muayad Alayan
Voices Short Audience Award
Winner: Joy in People by Oscar Hudson
FIPRESCI Award
Winner: Balekempa by Ere Gowda Jury report: “For its subtle and delightful portrayal of a universal theme against the background of a rich local culture.”
KNF Award
The KNF Award is given to the best Dutch, or Dutch co-produced, feature film that is selected for IFFR 2018, as awarded by a jury from the Circle of Dutch Film Journalists. Winner: Zama by Lucrecia Martel Jury report: “This bold project illustrates how co-producing can allow an immensely gifted filmmaker to enter different territory, just as the film itself transports the audience to an alien world. Without signposts or hand-holding, viewers are challenged to use all their senses in order to navigate this foreign land. The filmmaker’s sensory approach to cinema also poses a challenge to us critics; we’ve been struggling to find words that do justice to a film that ultimately can only be experienced.”
NETPAC Award
The NETPAC Award is presented to the best Asian feature film world premiering at IFFR by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema. Winner: Nervous Translation by Shireen Seno Jury report: “For its singularly original representation of childhood that beautifully captures a unique view of the world – one that is full of contradictory interactions, introspection, social and political dissonance, and disquietude. With this film, the director has succeeded in creating an unforgettable cinematic universe.”
IFFR Youth Jury Award
The film that makes the biggest impression on this jury of young people is awarded the IFFR Youth Jury Award. Winner: The Guilty by Gustav Möller Jury report: “This film captivated us from beginning to end and was able to make the audience aware of its own preconceived notions of reality. The director deliberately withholds information from the audience, thereby creating uncertainty which leaves room for imagination. The film is a masterclass in suspense; it managed to keep our eyes glued to the screen throughout the entire film. Furthermore, we believe that this film will be attractive to a younger audience, as it is a good introduction into arthouse cinema.”
Found Footage Award
The new Found Footage Award is granted to a filmmaker who has made outstanding use of archive material. The award, worth €2,500, is supported by the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. Winner: Newsreel 63 – The Train of Shadows by Nika Autor Jury report: “This film convincingly introduces a new critical paradigm in which every new image questions the entire history of film as a medium and its role within society. It does so through brilliant use of the train as a rich metaphor for human aspiration and technological advancement, connecting the first Lumière film all the way through to the current practice of shooting smartphone footage to document refugees on their quest for a better life.”
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Eight Films Selected for Hivos Tiger Competition at 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_26345" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Possessed[/caption] Eight films have been selected for the Hivos Tiger Competition – seven world premieres and one international premiere, at the 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Three of the films to world premiere in the Hivos Tiger Competition 2018 were supported by the Hubert Bals Fund. Nervous Translation by Philippine filmmaker Shireen Seno (which was also selected for CineMart in 2014) is a sparkling and at times surreal film which quietly shows the politically unstable climate of the Philippines in 1987 as seen through the dreamy eyes of an eight-year-old girl. The Reports on Sarah and Saleem by Muayad Alayan (also selected for BoostNL in 2016) is a story of the impossible affair between a Jewish woman and a Palestinian man which attracts the attention of security services, and was supported by the Hubert Bals Fund in 2017. And Sultry, Brazilian filmmaker Marina Meliande’s combination of social realist drama and body horror, recounts the struggle of a young lawyer in the oppressive heat of Rio de Janeiro against the all-encompassing influence of the Olympic Games on the city. This is the second time Meliande has been supported by the Hubert Bals Fund; in 2011 she co-directed Cannes entry The Joy (with Felipe Bragança). The world premiere of the fascinating cinematic essay Possessed reflects on the ways humans obsessively search for connections in a digital age. For this film, the filmmakers from the Amsterdam-based Metahaven collaborated with Dutch graphic designer and documentary filmmaker Rob Schröder, who also has a connection to IFFR – his short films screened at IFFR in 1998 and 2000. The Hivos Tiger Competition also includes Djon África, a first fiction by documentary filmmakers João Miller Guerra and Filipa Reis portraying the playful odyssey of a 25-year-old Portuguese Rastafarian in search of his father and his own identity; I Have a Date with Spring by South Korean director Baek Seungbin, a mysterious black comedy in which a filmmaker struggles with a script revolving around the hypothetical question of what to do on your last day on earth; andThe Widowed Witch by Chinese filmmaker Cai Chengjie, which is a complete re-edit of the -winning Chinese film Shaman and wryly details the life of an unfortunate woman who suddenly seems to possess magical powers. Finally, the competition includes the international premiere of the US film Piercing by Nicolas Pesce, a playful psycho thriller in which a sadomasochistic game of cat-and-mouse unfolds between a man and the call girl he planned to murder. The prestigious Hivos Tiger Award includes a cash prize of €40,000, to be divided between filmmaker and producer. An international jury of five filmmakers and film professionals also chooses an exceptional artistic achievement within the Tiger selection to receive a Special Jury Award worth €10,000. Festival Director Bero Beyer: “This year’s Tiger line-up features daring filmmakers who boldly venture into new territories. All of them combine relevant stories and themes – like Israeli/Palestinian relations as seen through the eyes of two lovers, the consequences of the Olympic Games in downtown Rio, or the concept of the imminent end of the world – with outspoken cinematic form.” The jury for the Hivos Tiger Competition 2018 consists of British filmmaker Anthea Kennedy (The View from Our House), Mexican producer Paula Astorga(La caridad), Dutch editor Job ter Burg (Elle), German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach (Western), and South Korean filmmaker Kim Kyungmook (Stateless Things). Both the Hivos Tiger Award and the Special Jury Award will be presented on Friday, February 2, 2018 during the Awards Ceremony.
Hivos Tiger Competition 2018
Djon África, João Miller Guerra/Filipa Reis, 2018, Portugal/Brazil, world premiere I Have a Date with Spring, Baek Seungbin, 2018, South Korea, world premiere Nervous Translation, Shireen Seno, 2018, Philippines, world premiere Piercing, Nicolas Pesce, 2018, USA, international premiere Possessed, Metahaven/Rob Schröder, 2018, Netherlands/Croatia, world premiere The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, Muayad Alayan, 2018, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico, world premiere Sultry, Marina Meliande, 2018, Brazil, world premiere The Widowed Witch, Cai Chengjie, 2018, China, world premiere
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International Film Festival Rotterdam Reveals 2018 Bright Future Mid-length Program

[caption id="attachment_26296" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Drown Among the Dead (Pierdete entre los muertos), Ruben Gutiérrez[/caption] Since 2014, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) highlights a new format on the rise: the mid-length film, between 45 and 62 minutes. The Bright Future Mid-length program of 2018 consists of ten films, five of which are world premieres. From a tale of revenge in the Mexican desert to the reincarnation of Walter Benjamin taking the Staten Island Ferry. After each screening there will be extra time to meet the director.
2018 Bright Future Mid-length Program
World Premieres: Good Evening to the People Living in the Camp, Joost Conijn, France/Greece/Netherlands, 2018, world premiere The long awaited new work by Dutch artist and filmmaker Joost Conijn: an unorthodox portrait of refugees in Europe. Everyone in Hawaii Has a Sixpack Already, Marvin Hesse, Germany/Spain, 2018, world premiere Hesse’s intimate coming-of-age documentary on the island of La Gomera. Death of the Master (La muerte del maestro), José María Avilés, Ecuador/Argentina, 2018, world premiere A mysterious narration of an old farmer’s experience of the 2016 Ecuador earthquake. Villain Robert Otto (Der Schurke Robert Otto), Florian Haag, Germany, 2018, world premiere A remarkable debut by Florian Haag who sketches the rigorous portrait of Swiss writer Robert Walser. Drown Among the Dead (Pierdete entre los muertos), Ruben Gutiérrez, Mexico, 2018, world premiere A bizarre yet comical nightmare in the Mexican desert. As well as: Exile, Zoe Beloff, USA, 2017, international premiere Bertolt Brecht and Walter Benjamin are alive and kicking, and they roam around New York City! Beyond the One (Au-delà de l’un), Anna Marziano, France, 2017, European premiere An elegant 16mm essay investigating love and new forms of relationships in Europe and India. Cartucho, Andrés Chaves, Colombia, 2017 Portrait of El Cartucho in Bogotá, a hell hole that used to belong to drug lords. Playing Men, Matjaž Ivanišin, Slovenia/Croatia, 2017 Serious absurdism by the great hope of Kroatian cinema. Stomach of the World, Eva Kotatkova, Greece, 2017 A playful meditation on capitalism.
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Eight Films in Big Screen Competition at 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_26244" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Pity by Babis Makridis[/caption] Eight films have been selected for the Big Screen Competition at the 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR): three world premieres, one international premiere and four European premieres. The three world premiere nominees are: Nina, Polish filmmaker Olga Chajdas’s feature film debut in which a couple’s love is tested as they struggle to find a surrogate mother for their child; Father to Son, the third feature by Taiwanese filmmaker Hsiao Ya-chuan (Mirror Image), a story of reconciliation in which a 60-year-old man goes to Japan to look for his father who abandoned him when he was 10, and An Impossibly Small Object by Dutch filmmaker David Verbeek, which confronts the relationship between maker and subject. In this meditative film, Verbeek himself plays a Dutch photographer transfixed by a picture he took of a girl in a Taiwanese parking lot. IFFR has screened many of Verbeek’s films in the past. His Shanghai Trance and Dead & Beautiful were both selected for CineMart. The Big Screen Competition also includes the international premiere of Night Comes On, Jordana Spiro’s debut feature about an 18-year-old woman who takes her 10-year-old sister on a journey that could destroy their futures.

Lastly, the four European premieres. British filmmaker Jim Hosking’s comedy An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn stars Aubrey Plaza as a woman whose unsatisfactory marriage is shaken when she sees a performance piece by a mysterious man from her past. Danish filmmaker Gustav Möller’s intense feature debut The Guilty revolves around one emergency phone call – an initially disinterested police officer quickly jumps into action when he hears a woman being kidnapped. Pity by Greek filmmaker Babis Makridis (selected for CineMart in 2014) is about a man with such need for pity he’s willing to do absolutely anything to get it from others. IFFR previously screened Makridis’ film L, in 2012 in the Tiger Awards Competition. Sebastián Hofmann’s second feature Tiempo compartido was also selected for CineMart in 2014, and also received a grant from the Hubert Bals Fund. This satire follows the struggle of two paranoid men against the ever-smiling staff of an all-inclusive resort. Hofmann made his debut at IFFR 2013 with Halley, which also competed in the Tiger Awards Competition.

In 2013, the VPRO Big Screen Award was inaugurated to promote the presence of quality films on the big screen and public television in the Netherlands. Of the €30,000 in prize money, €15,000 is spent towards the winning film’s theatrical release and €15,000 towards the production of the filmmaker’s next project. In 2017 the award was won by Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye. Earlier winners were Les ogres by Léa Fehner in 2016, Second Coming by Debbie Tucker Green in 2015, Another Year by Oxana Bychkova in 2014 and Bellas mariposas by Salvatore Mereu in 2013. A jury of five experienced festival-goers picks the winner of the VPRO Big Screen Award, worth €30,000. The winning film will be released in Dutch cinemas and will be purchased by the Dutch public broadcasting network NPO to screen on national television.

Full selection Big Screen Competition:

An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, Jim Hosking, UK/USA, 2018, European premiere

Father to Son, Hsiao Ya-chuan, Taiwan, 2018, world premiere

The Guilty, Gustav Möller, Denmark, 2018, European premiere

An Impossibly Small Object, David Verbeek, Taiwan/Netherlands/Croatia, 2018, world premiere

Night Comes On, Jordana Spiro, USA, 2018, international premiere

Nina, Olga Chajdas, Poland, 2018, world premiere

Pity, Babis Makridis, Greece/Poland, 2018, European premiere

Tiempo compartido, Sebastián Hofmann, Mexico/Netherlands, 2018, European premiere

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48 Feature Films Selected for Bright Future Main Program at 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_26231" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Impermanence[/caption] International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has selected 48 feature film titles for its Bright Future Main Program dedicated to young, emerging film talent. Within this line-up, all feature-length film debuts that are a world or international premiere in Rotterdam are eligible for the Bright Future Award, worth €10,000. Many of them are world premieres. In Impermanence by young Chinese filmmaker Zeng Zeng, three fascinating lost souls – a monk, an innkeeper and a father who has lost his son – are brought together by fate. The German film Ella und Nell by Aline Chukwuedo follows two Berlin women on a hike in the woods. August at Akiko’s is Christopher Makoto Yogi’s dreamy debut about a musician who returns to Hawaii trying to find his ‘ha’`– the spirit that links him to his birthplace. Other nominated world premieres include the harrowing Counting Tiles by Lebanese filmmaker Cynthia Choucair, following a group of clowns who set off for the island of Lesbos to deliver laughter to refugees; The Heart by Swedish filmmaker Fanni Metelius about an invisible conflict stirring between the sheets of two lovers (“If you love me then fuck me!”); and the Egyptian film Poisonous Roses by Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, in which a young man dreams of a life beyond his tannery job in the slums. Also in competition: Argentinian filmmaker Gustavo Biazzi’s charming and melancholy coming-of-ager Los vagos. Other world premieres in the Bright Future Main Program include YEAH by Japanese filmmaker Suzuki Yohei; Jonaki by celebrated Indian filmmaker Aditya Vikram Sengupta, whose Labour of Love screened at IFFR 2015; Permanent Green Light by Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley, about a teenager obsessed with the idea of blowing himself up in public; and La estrella errante by Spanish filmmaker Alberto Gracia about the wandering front man of a Galician underground punk band. Gracia won the FIPRESCI Award with his feature debut The Fifth Gospel of Kaspar Hauser at IFFR 2013.
Bright Future Competition
August at Akiko’s, Christopher Makoto Yogi, USA, 2018, world premiere Musician Alex Zhang Hungtai returns to Hawai‘i after years abroad. His search for home and roots intensifies when he forms a bond with local kupuna Akiko. Azougue Nazaré/Azougue Nazareth, Tiago Melo, Brazil, 2018, world premiere In the sugarcane country of North East Brazil, where Evangelicalism is on the rise, people start to disappear and other strange things start to happen as Maracatu carnival season gets underway. The Bangle Seller, Ere Gowda, India, 2018, world premiere In a small Indian village, Kempanna and his wife Saubaghya are unable to conceive. A scandal seems imminent. Counting Tiles, Cynthia Choucair, Lebanon , 2018, world premiere A group of clowns travel to the Greek island of Lesvos on a mission to bring laughter to the many people escaping war in February 2016. Ella und Nell/Ella & Nell, Aline Chukwuedo, Germany, 2018, world premiere Ella and Nell used to be best friends. Now grown apart and in their forties, they set out on a hike in order to reconnect. The mood changes as old wounds are reopened. The Heart, Fanni Metelius, Sweden, 2018, world premiere Mika and Tesfay. She’s a photographer. He’s a musician. Both are up-and-coming. The first true romance. But an invisible conflict, an unnameable shame, stirs between their sheets. Impermanence, Zeng Zeng, China, 2018, world premiere Fate brings together three fascinating lost souls – a monk with a sack of money, an innkeeper with a heavy conscience and a father who’s lost his son – in young Chinese director Zeng Zeng’s mysterious tale of guilt, punishment and ambiguous redemption. Poisonous Roses, Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, Egypt/France, 2018, world premiere Saqr dreams of a life beyond his tannery job in the slums, but his love for the sister he would leave behind keeps him tied there. Their Remaining Journey, John Clang, Singapore/USA/Taiwan, 2018, world premiere A tale of reincarnation unfolds through the stories of a dead actress, an ex-mistress and an unfaithful husband, somewhere between New York and Singapore. La torre/Tower, Sebastián Múnera, Colombia/Mexico, 2018, world premiere On March 17, 2004 an explosive device was activated at the Piloto Public Library in Medellín, where much of the photographic archive of Colombian history is kept. A photograph is the only evidence of this barbarism. Los vagos/Bums, Gustavo Biazzi, Argentina, 2017, international premiere High school sweethearts Ernesto and Paula return to their hometown, Misiones, for the summer. Ernesto’s rekindled friendship with los vagos (‘the bums’) triggers upheaval for the pair.
Bright Future premieres
Ambiguous Places, Ikeda Akira, Japan, 2017, international premiere A series of odd and mysterious dramas unfolds against ordinary backdrops in this new film from Tiger Award winner Ikeda. Blockage, Mohsen Gharaei, Iran, 2017, European premiere Fired from his job at the municipality for making deals on the side, Ghasem is forced to make changes. While is he making plans for his wife’s inheritance, a completely new opportunity arises. La estrella errante/Wandering Star, Alberto Gracia, Spain, 2018, world premiere The punk band Los Fiambres released one cult album in 1984. More than thirty years later, their lead singer, Rober Perdut, wanders around his Galician hometown in this sensory, melancholic film. Hit the Night, Jeong Gayoung, South Korea, 2017, international premiere Under the pretence of research, Ga-yeong pries into the personal and sexual life of a new acquaintance. Despite having a girlfriend, the acquaintance willingly participates. Is he unaware of her desire, or just impressed by her line of questioning? Inferninho/My Own Private Hell, Guto Parente, Pedro Diógenes, Brazil, 2018, world premiere In a bar called Inferninho, the staff dream of escape. A handsome sailor with a dream of finding home arrives. Jonaki, Aditya Vikram Sengupta, India/France/Singapore, 2018, world premiere While Jonaki, an 80-year-old woman, searches for love in a strange world of decaying memories, her lover, now old and grey, returns to a world she is leaving behind. The Pain of Others, Penny Lane, USA, 2018, world premiere A found-footage documentary about Morgellons, a mysterious illness whose sufferers say they have parasites under the skin and a host of other bizarre symptoms that could be taken from a horror film. Permanent Green Light, Dennis Cooper/Zac Farley, France, 2018, world premiere A young disabled guy wants to explode in public. He’s not suicidal or an extremist, he’s purely interested in this act’s effect. That he’ll die is unimportant, he just doesn’t want people to misinterpret the event. Sol alegria, Tavinho Teixeira, Brazil, 2018, world premiere An eccentric family on a mission travel through dictatorial Brazil to save humanity from annihilation. Cheerfully nihilistic film trip takes us past a colourful parade of sailors, whores, generals, corrupt priests and trigger-happy nuns. YEAH, Suzuki Yohei, Japan, 2018, world premiere A young woman, Ako, wanders around a sparsely populated housing estate in a rural city, Mito, where she spends her time speaking to objects and plants.
Confirmed for Bright Future
The Gulf, Emre Yeksan, Turkey/Germany/Greece, 2017 Leaving behind a ruined career and a bitter divorce, Selim returns to his hometown, Izmir. While wandering the city he runs into an old friend and finds himself gradually drawn into a new world. Those Who Are Fine, Cyril Schäublin, Switzerland, 2017 Using skills gained working in a call centre, Alice makes a sinister income posing as the granddaughter of Zurich’s many lonely grandmothers. Previously announced titles in the Bright Future Main Program
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World Premiere of JIMMIE by Jesper Ganslandt to Open + THE DEATH OF STALIN to Close International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_26164" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Jimmie[/caption] The world premiere of Jimmie by Swedish filmmaker Jesper Ganslandt, a road movie with a truly original twist about a father and son on the run, will open the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) on January 24, 2018. The festival will close on February 3, 2018 with The Death of Stalin by Armando Iannucci. In Jimmie, the cast lends the film an interesting extra dimension: Ganslandt himself plays the father, with Ganslandt’s own son Hunter playing four-year-old Jimmie. Together, they embark on a journey through Europe that challenges our preconceptions in an unexpected way. According to producer Hedvig Lundgren: “the film shows that a child’s universe is both very small and bigger than an adult can imagine.” Festival Director Bero Beyer: “Ganslandt offers a truly new perspective in an intense cinematic experience that makes us view the world anew. The film is an honest and subtly executed take on one of the more pressing issues we face in today’s society, as seen through the eyes of a striking protagonist, a four-year-old boy. Jimmie is a remarkable, emotional and thought-provoking story and we’re proud it will open our 47th edition.” Ganslandt is one of the bold new voices in Scandinavian cinema. In his dreamy first feature Falkenberg Farewell (2006), five friends spend their last summer together in their hometown, Falkenberg. For his claustrophobic second feature The Ape, screened at IFFR 2010, Ganslandt did not let his lead actor Olle Sarri read the full script in advance. Ganslandt’s first English-language film is to be released later in 2018 – a thriller entitled Beast of Burden starring Daniel Radcliffe. [caption id="attachment_23440" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Death of Stalin[/caption] The closing film of IFFR 2018, The Death of Stalin, is also part of the festival’s theme program A History of Shadows, which investigates cinema’s powers to reevaluate and revisit the past. In his new film, Armando Iannucci – best known for his television series The Thick of It and Veep – employs his knack for lampooning the self-serving attitudes of authority figures to zoom in on the Kremlin power struggles that ensued following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953. The result is a stylish, salient black comedy starring among others Michael Palin and Steve Buscemi.
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International Film Festival Rotterdam Reveals First Films in 2018 Bright Future Main Program

[caption id="attachment_25989" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Milla[/caption] International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) revealed the first series of titles in its 2018 Bright Future Main Program, the festival’s home for up-and-coming filmmakers with a unique style and vision. The 2018 selection boasts new films by striking talents who have emerged this year. IFFR also announces the first titles eligible for the Bright Future Award, for world and international premieres by first-time filmmakers. Among these are the world premieres of The Return by Malene Choi Jensen, a story of two Danish-Korean adoptees who visit their country of birth, partly based on the filmmaker’s own experiences; Windspiel by German filmmaker Peyman Ghalambor, about a 13-year-old kid who makes his escape from a children’s home in Brandenburg; and My Friend the Polish Girl by Ewa Banaszkiewicz and Mateusz Dymek, a cinematic culture clash between an American filmmaker starting out in London and a Polish actress. From Belgium, IFFR has selected two completely different, but very promising first features: as previously announced Ruben Desiere’s La fleurière/The Flower Shop, as well as the international premiere of Christina Vandekerckhove’s documentary Rabot, the story of a social housing block on the brink of demolition, and winner of the audience award at Film Fest Gent. The winner of the Bright Future Award is chosen by a jury consisting of three film professionals and receives €10,000 to be spent on the development of a new film project. Bright Future Main Programme also contains exciting sophomore feature-length films, marking a first venture into fiction. This is the case for the astute Ordinary Time by Susana Nobre, for example, which scrutinises the calm rhythm of daily life of young parents by zooming in on many moments that are, well, completely ordinary. The world premiere of Azougue Nazaré/Azougue Nazareth by Tiago Melo dives deep into the mysterious and colourful sugarcane universe of rural Brazil. Selections also include celebrated films such as The Nothing Factory by Pedro Pinho, Soldiers. Story from Ferentari by Ivana Mladenovic, Drift by Helena Wittmann and Cocote by Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias.
Bright Future Competition
La fleurière/The Flower Shop Ruben Desiere, Belgium, Slovakia, international premiere In the back room of a flower shop, three men are digging a tunnel to break into a bank safe. Heavy rainfall interrupts their work. Guarda in alto/Look Up Fulvio Risuleo, Italy, France, international premiere During a break, a young baker notices the fall of a strange bird. He decides to take a closer look and an unbelievable journey across the rooftops of Rome ensues. My Friend the Polish Girl Ewa Banaszkiewicz, Mateusz Dymek, United Kingdom, Poland, world premiere An American documentarian sets out to make a film about immigrants in post-Brexit-vote London, but ends up intruding on the life of a struggling Polish actress. A raw, sexual, and visually brash cine-essay. Rabot Christina Vandekerckhove, Belgium, international premiere In a notorious social-housing block in Ghent, both the building and the residents must go. Winner Audience Award 2017 at Film Fest Gent. Respeto Alberto Monteras II, Philippines, international premiere Amidst the violence and poverty of Manila, Hendrix dreams of becoming a rapper. He will need Doc’s help to find the right words. The Return Malene Choi Jensen, Denmark, world premiere A story of two Danish-Korean adoptees visiting their motherland for the first time and confronting their own identity struggles. Windspiel Peyman Ghalambor, Germany, world premiere When making his escape, a thirteen-year-old boy struggling to fit in at a children’s home in the Brandenburg forest meets an old man.
Bright Future Premieres
All You Can Eat Buddha Ian Lagarde, Canada, European premiere A man’s mysterious appetite and supernatural powers gradually lead to apocalypse in an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. Azougue Nazaré/Azougue Nazareth Tiago Melo, Brazil, world premiere In the sugar-cane country of Northeast Brazil, where Evangelicism is on the rise, people begin to disappear and other strange things start to happen as Maracatu carnival season begins. Inferninho/My Own Private Hell Guto Parente, Pedro Diógenes, Brazil, world premiere In a bar called Inferninho, the staff dreams of escape. A handsome sailor with a dream of finding home arrives. Mama Jin Xingzheng, China, international premiere This documentary follows 88-year-old Mama, who has sustained the household and selflessly cared for her disabled son for decades. The time has come for her to pass on her mother’s love and wisdom to those next in line. Ordinary Time Susana Nobre, Portugal, France, world premiere Following two young parents after the birth of their baby, the film scrutinises the calm rhythm of daily life by zooming in on many moments that may not be as ordinary as they appear.
Confirmed for Bright Future
3/4/Three Quarters Ilian Metev, Bulgaria, Germany As a young pianist prepares for an audition abroad, her eccentric younger brother attempts to distract her and her father tries to keep it all together. Winner Cinema of the Present, Locarno. Cocote Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Germany, Qatar – HBF supported in 2012 To mourn his deceased father, an evangelical gardener is forced to participate in celebrations that are contrary to his will and beliefs. DRIFT Helena Wittmann, Germany Two women spend a weekend together at the North Sea before life takes them off in different directions. Les garçons sauvages/The Wild Boys Bertrand Mandico, France On Réunion Island, five young men enamoured with the occult commit a savage crime. Gutland Govinda Van Maele, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany In this rural thriller, a stranger finds refuge and community in a small village and it quickly becomes clear that he’s not the only one with secrets. El hombre que cuida/The Watchman Alejandro Andújar, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Brazil A broken-hearted man occupies himself with his job as a caretaker for a beachfront house, until a group of special guests arrives. Life and Nothing More Antonio Méndez Esparza, USA, Spain A young African-American man facing the mounting pressure of family responsibility goes in search of his father and ends up at a dangerous crossroads. Meteors Gürcan Keltek, Turkey, Netherlands Blending documentary filmmaking and political commentary, and connecting the earthly to the cosmos, Meteors is a film about memory and disappearance – of people, places and things. Milla Valérie Massadian, France With nothing to lose, Milla and Leo set up a new life for themselves in an abandoned house in a seaside town in Normandy. The Nothing Factory Pedro Pinho, Portugal Under the shadow of the bankruptcy of their lift factory, workers look for ways to regain control of their lives. Resurrection Kristof Hoornaert, Belgium An old hermit (Johan Leysen) takes in a young man after finding him half-naked in the forest. Despite the young man’s refusal to talk, a connection grows between them. Soldiers. Story from Ferentari Ivana Mladenovic, Romania, Serbia, Belgium A contemporary love story between an ex-convict and a shy anthropologist unfolds in the Roma outskirts of Bucharest. Sweating the Small Stuff Ninomiya Ryutaro, Japan As his surrogate mother lies gravely ill, quietly explosive Ryutaro hits an emotional edge. Tesnota/Closeness Kantemir Balagov, Russia After their engagement celebrations, a young couple is kidnapped in the north of the Russian Caucasus in the late 1990s. Their families must find the money to secure their freedom.
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First Music Films Revealed for Scopitone Program of International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_25932" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Groove is Not Trivial[/caption] The Scopitone program of the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam will feature eight documentaries that view music as a social movement. Amidst a lively and inviting atmosphere with talks, bands and an open bar during the screening, visitors and experts alike explore the social significance of music. Among the confirmed titles are gems from all corners of the (music) world. The international premiere of The Ballad of Shirley Collins by Rob Curry and Tim Plester follows the iconic British folk singer Shirley Collins who tries to regain at a late age the voice she once lost. Bruk Out! A Dance Hall Queen Documentary by Cori McKenna gives a raw and energetic look into the lives of six powerful women striving to become Dance Hall Queens. Tommie Smith’s The Groove is Not Trivial is a story about cultural revival in which master fiddler Alasdair Fraser digs deep into his Scottish musical roots. And Olancho by Theodore Griswold and Christopher Valdes shows the dangerous world of narco ballads in Honduras. When groups like Los Plebes de Olancho sing for one drug cartel, they get threatened by another. Band member Manuel Chirinos felt forced to flee the country and tells his story.
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First 15 Films Revealed for 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_24746" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Florida Project[/caption] International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) revealed the first 15 films selected for its 47th edition, among which are Sean Baker’s The Florida Project and Guillermo del Toro’sThe Shape of Water. Other selections include work by Wang Bing, Constantin Popescu and Alexey Fedorchenko. The festival will take place from January 24 to February 4, 2018. IFFR celebrates film art from all over the world and continues to present its programme in four sections, each with its own distinct character: Bright Future (including the Hivos Tiger Competition and the Tiger Competition for Short Films); Voices; Deep Focus and Perspectives. Short films are strongly represented throughout the festival. Also among the first titles are the international premieres of La fleurière by Ruben Desière (Belgium/Slovakia) and The Bottomless Bag by Rustam Khamdamov (Russia). Other festival highlights include Wang Bings Golden Leopard winning Mrs. Fang; Les garçons sauvages by French filmmaker Bertrand Mandico; Zhang Miaoyan’s Silent Mist (China/France); and the world premiere of the short film project with history in a room filled with people with funny names 4 by Korakrit Arunanondchai (USA/Thailand/South Africa/UK). The first 15 films confirmed for the 47th IFFR:
BRIGHT FUTURE
The Flower Shop (La fleurière), Ruben Desière, Belgium/Slovakia, international premiere The Wild Boys (Les garçons sauvages), Bertrand Mandico, France All You Can Eat Buddha, Ian Lagarde, Canada, European premiere
VOICES
Anna’s War, Alexey Fedorchenko, Russia, European premiere Pororoca, Constantin Popescu, Romania/France Silent Mist, Zhang Miaoyan, China/France, European premiere
VOICES/Limelight
The Florida Project, Sean Baker, USA The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro, USA
DEEP FOCUS
The Bottomless Bag, Rustam Khamdamov, Russia, international premiere Mrs. Fang, Wang Bing, Hong Kong/France/Germany Marquis of Wavrin, from the manor to the jungle (Marquis de Wavrin, du manoir à la jungle), Grace Winter, Luc Plantier, Belgium
SHORT FILM
Glimpse, Artur Zmijewski, Poland/Germany I Have Nothing to Say, Ying Liang, Taiwan/Hong Kong with history in a room filled with people with funny names 4, Korakrit Arunanondchai, USA/Thailand/South Africa/UK, world premiere
MID-LENGTH
The Worldly Cave, Zhou Tao, China, European premiere
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2015 International Film Festival Rotterdam Short Film Winners

LA FIEVRE by Safia Benhaim

THINGS by Ben Rivers, LA FIEVRE by Safia Benhaim and GREETINGS TO THE ANCESTORS by Ben Russell are the winners of The Canon Tiger Awards 2015 at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

The Jury also selected OUR BODY by Dane Komljen (Serbia/Germany) to compete in the short film category of the European Film Awards (EFA) later this year.

Canon Tiger Awards For Short Films:

THINGS by Ben Rivers (United Kingdom)
Synopsis:
THINGS is Ben Rivers’ 14th film at IFFR since his 2007 debut. Full of eclipses, encounters, illusions and magic, the film is founded in uncertainty concerning home. It’s a fitting departure, but similarly to previous films, gives freedom to meander, reflect and make our own discoveries. A four seasons’ fable, a kaleidoscope of intimate and non-intimate details comes to the fore in THINGS, perplexing us, intriguing us and urging us to watch again.

About the director:
Ben Rivers studied at Falmouth School of Art and was co-founder of the Brighton Cinematheque. In 2008, AH LIBERTY! won a Tiger Award for Short Films in Rotterdam. His first feature film, TWO YEARS AT SEA (2011), won the FIPRESCI Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 2014, Rivers joined the year-long project STAY WHERE YOU ARE, a group of four award-winning artists and writers who created work on a single theme: their home environment.

LA FIEVRE by Safia Benhaim (France)
Synopsis:
One feverish night a girl meets the spirit of a woman returning from lengthy political exile. Together they travel across Morocco, searching for a home that disappeared and a forgotten childhood. Lost memories and the history of decolonization and political conflict re-emerge in cinematic hallucinations, but then the past is overrun by a new wave of resistance, Morocco’s Arab Spring.

About the director:
Safia Benhaim is a filmmaker who was educated, lives and works in Paris. As a child of Moroccan political refugees, her body of work focuses on the theme of exile. Her films lie on the intersection of documentary and science fiction.

GREETINGS TO THE ANCESTORS by Ben Russell (USA/South Africa/United Kingdom)
Synopsis:
GREETINGS TO THE ANCESTORS is Ben Russell’s 18th film at IFFR since 2002 and the final part in THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS, a trilogy examining the ecstatic limits of utopia in the present. Set between Swaziland and South Africa, in a region still struggling with the divisions produced by an apartheid government, GREETINGS TO THE ANCESTORS documents the dream lives of the territory’s inhabitants as the borders of consciousness dissolve and expand.

About the director:
Ben Russell makes films, performances and installations. He prefers to screen his work in unconventional places, such as monasteries, police-station basements and Japanese film-rental shops. His fields of interest range from anthropology to experimental film. After the many short films he shot in Suriname, he made his first long work, LET EACH ONE GO WHERE HE MAY, nominated for a Tiger Award in IFFR 2010. The highly productive filmmaker lives alternately in the USA and Europe.

Rotterdam nomination for European Film Awards:

OUR BODY, by Dane Komljen (Serbia/Germany)
Synopsis:
Director Komljen opens the door to the world of contrasts that OUR BODY consists of with a bang. The accompanying image would also suit the end of the film once the endless cleaning of the body proves to be no guarantee against unavoidable decline. OUR BODY is a metaphor for the impossibility of a clean modernism as long as it is to be maintained by humans, yet however destructive time’s influence, the mind will survive.

About the director:
Dane Komljen was educated in film directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Arts in Belgrade. After his studies he made a video installation in Serbia and short films in Bosnia and Croatia. Currently, Komljen is following a Master’s study in contemporary art at Le Fresnoy, France.

Full line-up Tiger Awards Competition for Short Films 2015

BIBLE by Tommy Hartung (USA)
BLINDER by Tim Leyendekker (the Netherlands, Brazil)
LA FIEVRE by Safia Benhaim (France)
GREETINGS TO THE ANCESTORS by Ben Russell (USA, South Africa, United Kingdom)
THE LIVING NEED LIGHT, THE DEAD NEED MUSIC by The Propeller Group (Vietnam)
MAINSQUEEZE by Jon Rafman (Canada)
THE MAIN COLORS OF THE SKY RADIATE FORGETFULNESS by Basim Magdy (Egypt)
MOON BLINK by Rainer Kohlberger (Austria)
NIGHT SOIL – FAKE PARADISE by Melanie Bonajo (USA, the Netherlands)
OUR BODY by Dane Komljen (Serbia, Germany)
PANCHROME I, II, III by T. Marie (USA)
QUIET ZONE by Karl Lemieux (Canada)
RAKING LIGHT by James Richards (Germany)
RAYMOND by Nina Yuen (USA)
SWIMMING IN YOUR SKIN AGAIN by Terence Nance (USA)
THINGS by Ben Rivers (United Kingdom)
TIJD EN PLAATS, EEN GESPREK MET MIJN MOEDER by Martijn Veldhoen (the Netherlands)
UNTITLED (THE CITY AT NIGHT) by Ane Hjort Guttu (Norway)
VOICE-OVER by Roy Villevoye (the Netherlands)
YOU’RE DEAD TO ME by Min-Wei Ting (Singapore)
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NEBRASKA by Alexander Payne Wins Audience Award of 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam

NEBRASKA by Alexander Payne

The UPC Audience Award of the 43rd International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) was won by NEBRASKA by Alexander Payne, and the Dioraphte Award went to the official opening film, QISSA, by Anup Singh. NEBRASKA tells the tragicomic story of a father and son who travel through economically blighted Nebraska on their way to find a million dollars.

Hans Blom, VP Marketing of UPC the Netherlands, stressed the importance of recognising independent cinema. ”Beautiful, engaging and exceptional films deserve a large audience and, in the case of the Audience Award winner Nebraska, this is most certainly the case”, Blom said.

QISSA by Anup Singh

Eleven festival films were realised thanks to support from the festival’s Hubert Bals Fund, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Director Anup Singh and three of the actresses from the award winner QISSA stressed the importance of the Fund’s support while attending the festival.

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