| International Film Festival Rotterdam | |
|---|---|
IFFR logo |
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| Location | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Awards | VPRO Tiger |
| Official website | |
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands[1] held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno. The IFFR also hosts CineMart, for film producers to seek funding.
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The International Film Festival Rotterdam management emphasizes diversity in its film programming and on building relationships with and between film-makers and audiences. Rather than red-carpet events, the festival's design is to encourage film makers to mingle with attendees. As a result, the festival claims having "a unique atmosphere" and a "fiercely loyal following" locally and internationally - around 90% of tickets are sold to regular supporters.
The festival is described as having "a serious commitment to film lovers and film making - screenings are shown without 'popcorn breaks', trailers or other commercials. This sense of purpose plays a crucial role in attracting the best directors to the event, allowing it to forge a reputation for diversity, discovery and innovation."
The first festival — then called 'Film International' — was organized in June 1972 under the leadership of Huub Bals. The IFFR's logo is a tiger, loosely based on the M.G.M. lion.[2] From the beginning, the festival has profiled itself as a promoter of alternative, innovative and non-commercial films, with an emphasis on the Far East and developing countries. Around 1983, the festival founded CineMart to serve as a "regular film market," and later modified the business model to serve instead as a "co-production market",[3][4] which helps a selected number of film producers connect with possible co-producers and funders for their film projects.[5]
After the festival founder's sudden death in 1988, a fund was initiated and named after him (Hubert Bals Fund), used for supporting filmmakers from developing countries.
The non-competitive character of the festival changed in 1995, when the VPRO Tiger Awards were introduced—three yearly prizes for young filmmakers making their first or second film. The next year, Simon Field, formerly Cinema Director at the London Institute of Contemporary Arts, became director of the festival. In 2004 Sandra den Hamer took over as director of the festival, and since September 2007, the leadership is in the hands of Rutger Wolfson. Despite financial difficulties in the mid-1980s, the festival has grown steadily, reaching 353,000 visitors in 2010.
The Pathé cinema at Schouwburgplein is one of the biggest cinemas in the country and boasts the largest screen in the Netherlands. The modern edifice – located between the Schouwburg and De Doelen – is dramatically lit by night, dominating the square.
De Doelen is the Central Box office during the festival
Cinerama is a magnificent old cinema with 7 theaters and more than 1000 seats. You can wait for your film at the well-stocked reading table or enjoy a nice drink in the comfortable lounge.
Worm is the main venue for the Starting from Scratch activities with film screenings, performances, installations, the Metamkine workshop, the Scratching from Start party and meeting point for activities in the lab of WORM.filmwerkplaats
The Old Luxor Theater dates back to 1917 and is a “Grand Dame” amongst Rotterdam theaters. It has been thoroughly renovated multiple times, but retains an atmosphere that lends a special touch to the cinematic experience.
The Rotterdamse Schouwburg is located in the heart of Rotterdam, on the famous Schouwburgplein. It is one of the main performing arts centers of the city, offering a wide range of critically acclaimed dance, opera and theatrical performances.
| Year | Film | Director | Country of origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Postman | He Jianjun | China |
| Fuyu no kappa | Kazama Shiori | Japan | |
| Thalassa, Thalassa, Ruckkehr Zum Mmer | Bogdan Dumitrescu | Germany/Romania | |
| 1996 | Sons | Zhang Yuan | China |
| Like Grains of Sand | Ryōsuke Hashiguchi | Japan | |
| Small Faces | Gillies MacKinnon | United Kingdom | |
| 1997 | Last Holiday | Amir Karakulov | Kazakhstan |
| The Day a Pig Fell into the Well | Hung Sang-soo | South Korea | |
| Robinson in Space | Patrick Keiller | United Kingdom | |
| 1998 | Buttoners | Petr Zelenka | Czech Republic |
| Giro di lune tra terra e mare | Giuseppe Gaudino | Italy | |
| Die Siebtelbauern | Stefan Ruzowitzky | Austria | |
| 1999 | The Iron Heel of Oligarchy | Alexander Bashirov | Russia |
| Plus Qu'hier, Moins Que Demain | Laurent Achard | France | |
| Following | Christopher Nolan | United Kingdom | |
| 2000 | Suzhou River | Lou Ye | China |
| Mundo Grúa | Pablo Trapero | Argentina | |
| Bye Bye Blue Bird | Katrin Ottarsdottír | Denmark | |
| 2001 | Bad Company | Furumaya Tomoyuki | Japan |
| The Days Between | Maria Speth | Germany | |
| 25 Watts | Juan Pablo Rebella & Pablo Stoll | Uruguay | |
| 2002 | Tussenland | Eugenie Jansen | The Netherlands |
| Everyday God Kisses Us on the Mouth | Sinişa Dragin | Romania | |
| Wild Bees | Bohdan Sláma | Czech Republic | |
| 2003 | With Love. Lilya | Larisa Sadilova | Russia |
| Extraño | Santiago Loza | Argentina | |
| Jealousy Is My Middle Name | Park Chan-ok | South Korea | |
| 2004 | The Missing | Lee Kang-sheng | Taiwan |
| Summer in the Golden Valley | Srđan Vuletić | Bosnia-Herzegovina | |
| En Route | Jan Krüger | Germany | |
| 2005 | Changing Destiny | Daniele Gaglianone | Italy |
| 4 | Ilya Khrzhanovsky | Russia | |
| The Sky Turns | Mercedes Alvarez | Spain | |
| 2006 | Walking on the Wild Side | Han Jie | China |
| The Dog Pound | Manuel Nieto Zas | Uruguay/Argentina/Canada/Spain | |
| Old Joy | Kelly Reichardt | United States of America | |
| 2007 | Love Conquers All | Tan Chui Mui | Malaysia |
| The Unpolished | Pia Marais | Germany | |
| Bog of Beasts AFR (ex aequo) |
Claudio Assis Morten Hartz Kaplers |
Brazil Denmark |
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| 2008 | Go With Peace Jamil | Omar Shargawi | Denmark |
| Wonderful Town | Aditya Assarat | Thailand | |
| Flower in the Pocket | Liew Seng Tat | Malaysia | |
| 2009 | Be Calm and Count to Seven | Ramtin Lavafipour | Iran |
| Breathless | Yang Ik-June | South Korea | |
| Wrong Rosary | Mahmut Fazil Coskun | Turkey | |
| 2010 | Agua fría de mar | Paz Fábrega | Costa Rica |
| Alamar | Pedro González-Rubio | Mexico | |
| Mundane History | Anocha Suwichakornpong | Thailand |