55th International Film Festival Rotterdam
Promotional poster | |
| Opening film | Providence and the Guitar by João Nicolau |
|---|---|
| Closing film | Bazaar by Rémi Bezançon |
| Location | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Awards |
|
| Artistic director | Vanja Kaludjercic |
| Festival date | Opening: 29 January 2026 Closing: 8 February 2026 |
| Website | IFFR |
The 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam, is the 2026 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which will be held from 29 January to 8 February 2026.[1] In this edition a retrospective for Egyptian film director Marwan Hamed, as one of its Focus strands in celebration of his prolific career will be featured along with European premiere of his 2025 film El Sett, a biopic of Egyptian singer and actress Umm Kulthum.[2] In its second focus strand the festival will present films from the Japanese V-Cinema.[3]
Jury
The jury for its three competition sections was announced on 2 December 2025.[4]
Tiger Competition
- Soheila Golestani, Iranian actress and film director
- Marcelo Gomes, Brazilian film director, screenwriter and visual artist.
- Ariane Labed, Greek-French actress and film director.
- Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival Director since 2023, and formerly the Creative Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Director of Film at Australia’s national museum of screen culture ACMI.
- Jurica Pavičić, Croatian writer, columnist and film critic
Tiger Short Competition
- Sammy Baloji: photographer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Anka Gujabidze: visual artist from Tbilisi
- Jukka-Pekka Laakso: Festival director of Tampere Film Festival since 2002
Big Screen Competition
- Jan-Willem van Ewijk: Dutch film director, actor and screenwriter
- Sara Ishaq: Yemeni-Scottish film director, screenwriter, and trainer
- Loes Luca: Dutch actress, singer and comedian
- Chris Oosterom: Director of Imagine Film Festival
- Mila Schlingemann: Senior Programmer & Acquisitions at EYE, the national museum for film and the art of moving image in the Netherlands.
Official selection
The titles were revealed on 16 December 2025.[5][6]
Opening and closing films
The opening and closing films of the festival are:[7]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening film | ||||
| Providence and the Guitar | A Providência e a Guitarra | João Nicolau | Portugal | |
| Closing film | ||||
| Bazaar | Rémi Bezançon | France | ||
Tiger Competition
The competition titles are as follows:[8]
- La belle année, Angelica Ruffier (Sweden, Norway)
- A Fading Man, Welf Reinhart (Germany)
- The Gymnast, Charlotte Glynn (United States)
- A Messy Tribute to Motherly Love, Dan Geesin (Netherlands, Germany, Belgium)
- My Semba, Hugo Salvaterra (Angola)
- Nangong Cheng, Shao Pan (China)
- O profeta, Ique Langa (Mozambique, South Africa, Qatar)
- Roid, Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, (Bangladesh)
- Supporting Role, Ana Urushadze (Georgia, Estonia, Turkey, Switzerland, United States)
- Unerasable!, Socrates Saint-Wulfstan Drakos (Belgium, Thailand, Sweden)
- Variations on a Theme, Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar (South Africa, Netherlands, Qatar)
- Yellow Cake, Tiago Melo (Brazil)
Big Screen Competition
- 2m², Volkan Üce, Belgium, Germany, Turkey
- The Arab, Malek Bensmaïl, Algeria, France, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Belgium
- Butterfly, Itonje Søimer Guttormsen, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany
- Cyclone, Philip Yung, Hong Kong
- The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford, Sean Dunn, United Kingdom
- Home, Marijana Janković, Denmark, Serbia
- Master, Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, Bangladeshis
- Moonglow, Isabel Sandoval, Philippines
- Now I Met Her, Xiao Luxi, China
- Projecto Global, Ivo M. Ferreira, Portugal, Luxembourg
- Talking to a Stranger (Hablando con extraños), Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Mexico
- Tell Me What You Feel, Łukasz Ronduda, Poland
Tiger Short Competition
- A donde nos lleva la fe de José Gerónimo, director Juliano Kunert (Dominican Republic)
- Acid City, dir. Jack Wedge, Will Freudenheim (United States)
- The Apple Doesn’t Fall…, dir. Dean Wei (China)
- Body, remember…, dir. Matthew Berka (United Kingdom)
- CUL-DE-SAC !, dir. Clyde Gates, Gabriel Sanson (Belgium, France)
- Deep Cobalt, dir. Petna Ndaliko Katondolo (Congo, Democratic Republic, United States)
- DISSONANCE, dir. Jordan Strafer (Germany)
- Domestic Demon, dir. Anahid Yahjian (United States, Portugal)
- Futuros luminosos, dir. Ismael García Ramírez (Colombia)
- Golden Island, dir. Arief Budiman (Indonesia, Singapore)
- Home Is where the heart Is, dir. Timothée Engasser (France)
- I am a River, dir. Heidi Piiroinen (Finland, France)
- Last Shot, dir. Parham Rahimzadeh (Netherlands)
- like moths to light, dir. Gala Hernández López (Spain, Italy, France)
- Mirror Martyr Mirror Moon, dir. Jesse Jones (Ireland)
- The Next World, dir. Grau Del Grau (United States)
- Objet d’énigme, dir. Chiara Caterina (Italy, Belgium)
- Orla, dir. Marie Lukáčová (Czech Republic, Slovakia)
- RELUCESCO, dir. Shannon Lynn Harris (Canada)
- The Second Skin, dir. Mariia Lapidus (United States, Mexico)
- Smriti~, dir. Shahi A J (India)
- The Tragic Movement of the Spheres, dir. Simon Rieth (France)
Limelight
A programme showcasing cinematic highlights of film festival favourites and international award-winners.[9][10]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Nights of Hero | Julia Jackman | United Kingdom, United States | |
| ChaO | チャオ | Yasuhiro Aoki | Japan |
| Dead Man's Wire | Gus Van Sant | United States | |
| El Sett | Marwan Hamed | Egypt | |
| Exit 8 | 8番出口 | Genki Kawamura | Japan |
| Father Mother Sister Brother | Jim Jarmusch | United States, Ireland, France | |
| The History of Sound | Oliver Hermanus | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Hi-Five | 하이파이브 | Kang Hyeong-cheol | South Korea |
| I Swear | Kirk Jones | Scotland | |
| Late Fame | Kent Jones | United States | |
| The Little Sister | La Petite Dernière | Hafsia Herzi | France, Germany |
| My Daughter Is a Zombie | 좀비딸 | Pil Gam-sung | South Korea |
| My Tennis Maestro | Il Maestro | Andrea Di Stefano | Italy |
| No Other Choice | 어쩔수가없다 | Park Chan-wook | South Korea |
| Quezon | Jerrold Tarog | Philippines | |
| The Secret Agent | O Agente Secreto | Kleber Mendonça Filho | Brazil, France, Germany, Netherlands |
| Silent Friend | Stille Freundin | Ildikó Enyedi | Germany, France, Hungary |
| Sore: Wife from the Future | Sore: Istri dari Masa Depan | Yandy Laurens | Indonesia |
| The Stranger | L'Étranger | François Ozon | France |
| The Testament of Ann Lee | Mona Fastvold | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Tokyo Taxi | TOKYOタクシー | Yoji Yamada | Japan |
| Tunnels: Sun In The Dark | Địa đạo: Mặt trời trong bóng tối | Bui Thac Chuyen | Vietnam |
| Two Prosecutors | Два прокурора | Sergei Loznitsa | Latvia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Lithuania |
| The Wizard of the Kremlin | Le mage du Kremlin | Olivier Assayas | France, United Kingdom, United States |
| Whitetail | Nanouk Leopold | Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland | |
Bright Future
The programme highlights first-feature films from promising filmmakers.[11]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ah Girl | 阿 Girl | Ang Geck Geck Priscilla | Singapore |
| Chronovisor | Jack Auen & Kevin Walker | United States | |
| I Grew an Inch When My Father Died | P. R. Monencillo Patindol | Philippines | |
| Let Them Be Seen | Nolitha Refilwe Mkulisi | South Africa, Germany | |
| Mayilaa | Semmalar Annam | India | |
Harbour
The programme showcases contemporary cinema.[12]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accept Our Sincere Apologies | Juja Dobrachkous | United Kingdom, Italy | |
| Art Is Dark and Full of Horrors | El arte es oscuro y está lleno de horrores | Artemio Narro | Mexico |
| Earth Song | Erol Mintaş | Finland, Germany | |
| The Hole, 309 Days to the Bloodiest Tragedy | Bolong, 309 hari sebelum tragedi berdarah | Hanung Bramantyo | Indonesia |
| Gaua | Paul Urkijo | Spain | |
| Krakatoa | Carlos Casas | United Kingdom, Poland, France | |
| The Misconceived | James N. Kienitz Wilkins | United States | |
| The Passion According to GHB | A Paixão Segundo GHB | Gustavo Vinagre, Vinicius Couto | Brazil |
| A Useful Ghost | ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ | Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke | Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany |
Focus: Marwan Hamed
This will feature Marwan Hamed's work from the past twenty years.[13]
| Year | English title | Original title | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Blue Elephant | الفيل الأزرق | Egypt |
| 2019 | The Blue Elephant 2 | 2 الفيل الأزرق | |
| 2018 | Diamond Dust | تُراب الماس | |
| 2009 | Ibrahim Labyad | إبراهيم الأبيض | |
| 2022 | Kira & El Gin | الجن و كيرة | |
| 2017 | The Originals | الأصليي | |
| 2006 | The Yacoubian Building | يعقوبيان عمارة |
Focus: V-cinema
Japan’s V-Cinema Focus will showcase a range of Toei titles:[14]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Hunter | クライムハンター 怒りの銃弾 | Okawa Toshimichi | Japan |
Awards
- Robby Müller Award: Yorick Le Saux, French cinematographer[15]
References
- ^ Leo Barraclough (23 October 2025). "Rotterdam Festival Unveils Nine World Premieres Across Bright Future, Harbour Strands". Variety. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (16 October 2025). "Rotterdam Fest Sets Marwan Hamed Retrospective, Biopic of Arab Music Icon Umm Kulthum". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (6 November 2025). "Rotterdam Film Fest Unveils Focus Program on Japanese V-Cinema Phenomenon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ Leo Barraclough (2 December 2025). "'Father Mother Sister Brother' Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux to Receive Robby Müller Award". Variety. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ Goerg Szalai (16 December 2025). "Rotterdam Film Fest IFFR Sets Competition Lineup, Opening and Closing Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ Tim Dams (16 December 2025). "Rotterdam unveils 2026 Tiger and Big Screen competition lineups". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ Leo Barraclough (16 December 2025). "'Providence and the Guitar' to Open International Film Festival Rotterdam With 'Bazaar (Murder in the Building)' Closing Dutch Event". Variety. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ Katz, David (16 December 2025). "IFFR unveils its eclectic 2026 competition line-ups". Cineuropa. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (13 November 2025). "Rotterdam Film Fest Adds 'The Misconceived' and Absurdist Musical Road Movie Whose Title Is Way Too Long for This Headline". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ "Limelight Programme IFFR 2026". IFFR official site. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "First wave of world premieres announced for IFFR 2026". International Film Festival Rotterdam. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "In Harbour". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (16 October 2025). "Umm Kulthum Biopic 'El Sett' To Make European Premiere At Rotterdam As Part Of Marwan Hamed Retrospective". Deadline. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Naman Ramachandran (6 November 2025). "'Female Teacher: Forbidden Sex' Among Selections as Rotterdam Spotlights Japan's V-Cinema Movement". Variety. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (2 December 2025). "Rotterdam Fest to Honor 'The Wizard of the Kremlin' Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, Sets Juries". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 December 2025.