It’s movie time! Especially if you’re in Rotterdam, because the famous IFFR is back. Until February 9th, the international film festival is screening a mix of highly celebrated films like The Brutalist, I’m Still Here, Memoir of a Snail, or Pablo Larraín’s Maria, as well as premiering the work of up-and-coming directors you should keep an eye on. Additionally, their Big Talks and Tiger Talks programme will receive guests such as Cate Blanchett, Costa Gavras, or Miike Takashi, among others, to discuss all things cinema.
As everyone gets ready for the Oscars gala in March, the IFFR spotlights some of the most celebrated films of this year’s festival circuit in the Limelight section. The Oscar-nominated Brazilian movie I’m Still Here, starring Fernanda Torres, is one you shouldn’t miss. Other highlights include Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody; Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5, Pablo Larraín’s Maria with the brilliant performance of Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, Joseph Khan’s Ick, Ranjith Pandurangan’s Thangalaan, Jiang Jia-chen’s Clash, Gilles Lellouche’s L’amour ouf, starring the great Adèle Exarchopoulos and François Civil.
Another section you should check out is Bright Future, a selection of feature-length debuts, characterised by original subject matter and an individual style, representing the cutting edge of contemporary filmmaking. In it, we find some beautiful movies like Antón Álvarez’s La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés, Rajee Samarasinghe’s Your Touch Makes Others Invisible, Karabo Lediga’s Sabbatical, Gala del Sol’s Rains over Babel, Sahand Kabiri’s The Crowd, or Lilly Hu’s 1 Girl Infinite. From Colombia to Iran, to China and Spain, these films will show us stories of liberation, maturing, love and heartbreak, friendship, oppression, and finding one’s identity.
Echoing the city’s port city identity, IFFR also has the Harbour section, which offers a full range of contemporary cinema. Some of the top highlights include the polemic Albert Serra’s Tardes de soledad, awarded the Concha de Oro at San Sebastián Film Festival; Costa-Gravras’ Last Breath, a pragmatic look at death stripped from taboo; Wei Shujun’s I Dreamed a Dream, a docu-fiction where a group of ambitions young male rappers take part in a shoot by an absent auteur; Grace Glowicki’s Dead Lover, coming off from Sundance, where a gravedigger reanimates her dead lover; or Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour, awarded in Cannes, a dazzling story of love and loss, of braveness and cowardice.
There is much, much more to discover, but we leave it to you to check out the full programme. From short films to interesting debuts, to awarded movies, actors, and directors, IFFR becomes the centre of attention these days for all cinema lovers.