International Film Festival Rotterdam

History

The first festival, then called Film International, was organized in June 1972 under the leadership of Huub Bals. The festival 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",{{cite web| url =https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/438004/

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.{{cite web| url =https://iffr.com/en/about-hubert-bals-fund

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.

Directors

In 1996 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 from 2007 to 2015 the director was Rutger Wolfson. Film producer Bero Beyer was the next director.

In 2020, Vanja Kaludjercic was appointed as the new director.

Description

Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental filmmaking by showcasing emerging talents and established auteurs. The festival also places a focus on presenting cutting edge media art and arthouse film, with most of the participants in the short film program identified as artists or experimental filmmakers. IFFR also hosts CineMart and BoostNL, for film producers to seek funding.

, Vanja Kaludjercic is director of the festival.

The IFFR logo is a stylized image of a tiger that is loosely based on Leo, the lion in the MGM logo.

Festival screening locations

The IFFR screens films at multiple locations, including the Pathé cinema at Schouwburgplein, De Doelen, Cinerama, WORM, Oude Luxor Theater, Rotterdamse Schouwburg, KINO, and LantarenVenster.

Tiger Award winners

The Tiger Award has had various sponsors over the years. In the years leading up to and including 2010, it was sponsored by the VPRO. In 2011, the award was presented by the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and since 2012 by Hivos.

Tiger Short Award Winners

The short films have their own competition at IFFR. What differentiates it from the Tiger Competition for feature-length films is the fact that it's not just for young and upcoming talents; all filmmakers have a chance at winning. Since 2005, The Tiger Short Competition has had various sponsors over the years including Ammodo, an institution in the Netherlands that supports the development of arts, architecture and science. In 2023, 24 shorts competed for three equal Tiger Short Awards, each worth €5,000.

Special Jury Award

Source:

Audience Award

Source:

Robby Müller Award

This award given since 2020, is a collaborative award between IFFR, the Netherlands Society of Cinematographers and Andrea Müller-Schirmer, Robby Müller’s wife.

• 2020 – Diego García, Cinematographer, Mexico
• 2021 – Kelly Reichardt, American film director and screenwriter.
• 2022 – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Thai cinematographer.
• 2023 – Hélène Louvart, French cinematographer
• 2024 – Grimm Vandekerckhove, Belgian cinematographer
• 2025 – Lol Crawley, English cinematographer
• 2026 – Yorick Le Saux, French cinematographer

References

References

1. [http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/professionals/cinemine/cinemart_history/ "CineMart History"] {{webarchive. link. (28 September 2011 . International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved 24 September 2011.)
2. Mundell, Ian (13 January 2009) [https://variety.com/2009/film/features/cinemart-thriving-in-tough-times-1117998470/ "CineMart thriving in tough times"] . [[Variety (magazine). Variety]]. Retrieved 24 September 2011. {{subscription required
3. Smith, Nigel M. (17 December 2010). [https://www.indiewire.com/article/rotterdams_cinemart_selects_33_projects_for_2011 "Rotterdam's CineMart Selects 33 Projects for 2011"] {{webarchive. link. (22 February 2012 . [[IndieWire]])
4. Sales Ross, Rafa. (2024-01-25). "New Head of Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund Tamara Tatishvili Vows to ‘Revamp and Revise All Schemes’". Variety.
5. (10 December 2019). "Vanja Kaludjercic to take over as director of International Film Festival Rotterdam (exclusive)". Screen.
6. "Short Film Program IFFR: An Alternative Stage for Artists | ArtSlant".
7. "Shorts Circuit".
8. "The Team".
9. Heijs, Jan Heijs & Westra, Frans (1996). ''Que le tigre danse. Huub Bals: a biography.'' Otto Cramwinckel: Amsterdam.
10. (15 August 2019). "Locations, Screening Schedule & Box Office".
11. [https://iffr.com/nl/over-iffr/awards/hivos-tiger-awards-competitie Hivos Tiger Awards Competition] {{webarchive. link. (12 April 2016 . IFFR.)
12. (22 December 2017). "The Widowed Witch".
13. Roxborough, Scott. (February 4, 2023). "'Le Spectre de Boko Haram' Wins Rotterdam Festival".
14. Calnan, Ellie. (3 February 2024). "Japanese debut ‘Rei’ leads Rotterdam winners".
15. Sales Ross. (8 February 2025). "Igor Bezinović's 'Fiume o morte!' Wins Rotterdam Tiger Award, 'The Tree of Authenticity' and 'Im Haus meiner Eltern' Take Jury Prizes".
16. "Tiger Short Competition {{!}} IFFR".
17. "About Ammodo".
18. "Tiger Short Competition {{!}} IFFR".
19. "Tiger Competition {{!}} Winners per edition".
20. "Audience Award {{!}} Winners per edition".
21. "Robby Müller Award {{!}} Winners per edition".
22. Melanie Goodfellow. (8 February 2022). "Rotterdam fetes Kelly Reichardt with Robby Müller award".
23. Tom Grater. (7 January 2022). "Rotterdam Film Festival Reveals Full Program Including Tiger Competition".
24. Leo Barraclough. (12 December 2023). "Belgian Cinematographer Grimm Vandekerckhove to Receive Rotterdam’s Robby Müller Award". [[Variety (magazine).
25. Scott Roxborough. (21 November 2024). "'The Brutalist' DP Lol Crawley to Be Honored With Rotterdam's Robby Müller Award".
26. Georg Szalai. (2 December 2025). "Rotterdam Fest to Honor ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’ Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, Sets Juries".