50th International Film Festival Rotterdam

The 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam, was the 2021 installment of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which took place on 1–7 February 2021 and 2–6 June 2021. The first part of the edition focused on the main Tiger, Big Screen, Ammodo Tiger Short, and Limelight programmes.[1] Whilst, the second part focused on the Harbour, Bright Future, Cinema Regained, Classics and Short and Mid-Length Film sections.[2]

50th International Film Festival Rotterdam
Opening filmRiders of Justice by Anders Thomas Jensen (February)
The World to Come by Mona Fastvold (June)
Closing filmPoupelle of Chimney Town by Hirota Yusuke (June)
LocationRotterdam, Netherlands
Founded1972
AwardsPebbles (Tiger Award)
Festival date1–7 February 2021
2–6 June 2021
Websiteiffr.com
IFFR chronology

The event was presented as a hybrid event, with a film programme was available online in the Netherlands whilst physically screened in cinemas across the country.[3]

Indian drama film, Pebbles by Vinothraj P.S., won Tiger Award, the top prize.[4]

Juries

Tiger

Ammodo Tiger Short

  • Anna Abrahams, audiovisual curator
  • Amira Gad, Egyptian-French curator and writer
  • Vincent Meessen, filmmaker

Official selections

Tiger

The following films were selected to compete for the Tiger Award. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020.[5]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Bebia, à mon seul désirJuja DobrachkousGeorgia, United Kingdom
Bipolar只是一次偶然的旅行Queena LiChina
Black MedusaMa tasmaa ken errihIsmaël, Youssef ChebbiTunisia
A Corsican SummerI CometePascal TagnatiFrance
The Edge of DaybreakPhayasohk phiyohkyamTaiki SakpisitThailand
FeastTim LeyendekkerNetherlands
Friends and StrangersJames VaughanAustralia
GrittItonje Søimer GuttormsenNorway
Landscapes of ResistancePejzaži otporaMarta PopivodaSerbia, Germany, France
LiborioNino Martínez SosaDominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Qatar
Looking for VeneraNë kërkim të VenerësNorika SefaKosovo, North Macedonia
MadalenaMadiano MarchetiBrazil
MaydayKaren CinnoreUnited States
Mighty FlashDestello bravíoAinhoa RodríguezSpain
Moss AgateAgate mousseSelim MouradLebanon
PebblesKoozhangalVinothraj P.S.India

Big Screen

The following films were selected to compete for the VPRO Big Screen Award. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020.[6]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
ArchipelagoArchipelFélix Dufour-LaperrièreCanada
AristocratsAnoko wa kizokuSode YukikoJapan
As We Like ItJie da huan xiChen Hung-i, Muni WeiTaiwan
AuroraPaz FábregaCosta Rica
The Cemil ShowCemil şovBariş SarhanTurkey
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be QuietEl perro que no callaAna KatzArgentina
DriftingZuk seoi piu lauJun LiHong Kong
King CarCarro ReiRenata PinheiroBrazil
The Last FarmerKadaisi vivasayiM. ManikandanIndia
Lone WolfJonathan OgilvieAustralia
The North WindSevernyy veterRenata LitvinovaRussia
Sexual DriveセクシャルドライブKōta YoshidaJapan
The Witches of the OrientLes Sorcières de l'OrientJulien FarautFrance
The Year Before the WarGads pirms karaDāvis SīmanisLatvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic

Ammodo Tiger Short

The following films were selected to compete for the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020.[7]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
80000 Years Old80000 ansChristelle LheureuxFrance
earthearthearthDaïchi SaïtoCanada
Eating SoilErde essenLaura WeissenbergerAustria
Er is een geest van mijMateo VegaNetherlands, Peru
The Eternal SpringtimeMùa xuân vĩnh cửuViệt VũVietnam
Flowers blooming in our throatsEva GioloItaly
For the Sake of CalmnessNewsha TavakolianIran
Happy ValleySimon LiuHong Kong, United States
The Hole's JourneyGhita SkaliNetherlands
Lemongrass GirlPom BunsermvichaThailand
Letter From Your Far-Off CountrySuneil SanzgiriUnited States
Luces del desiertoFélix BlumeFrance, Mexico
Maat Means LandFox MaxyUnited States
ManifestoAne Hjort GuttuNorway
Plant (879 pages, 33 days)Ruth HöflichAustralia
Sunsets, everydayBasir MahmoodItaly
Surviving You, AlwaysMorgan QuaintanceUnited Kingdom
Tellurian DramaRiar RizaldiIndonesia
TerranovaAlejandro Pérez Serrano, Alejandro Alonso EstrellaCuba
Tracing UtopiaCatarina de Sousa, Nick TysonPortugal, United States
Who Is Afraid of Ideology? Part 3 Micro ResistancesMarwa ArsaniosGermany
The Women's RevengeSu Hui-yuTaiwan

Art Directions

The programme highlighted the expansion of cinema to installations, exhibitions and live performance.[8]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
The Hangman at HomeMichelle Kranot, Uri KranotDenmark, France, Canada
Image Technology EchoesLauren MoffattIreland, Germany
The Subterranean Imprint ArchiveFrancois Knoetze, Amy Louise WilsonSouth Africa
To Miss the EndingDavid Callanan, Anna WestUnited Kingdom

Bright Future

The programme highlighted first-feature films from promising filmmakers.[9]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
All About My SistersJia ting lu xiangWang QiongUnited States
BERGJoke OlthaarNetherlands
Damascus DreamsÉmilie SerriCanada
The Day Is OverChi tangQi RuiChina
Faya DayiJessica BashirEthiopia, United States, Qatar
The Joy of ThingsA felicidade das coisasThais FujinagaBrazil
LuminaSamuele SestieriItaly
OK ComputerPooja Shetty, Neil PagedarIndia
PhoenixBram DroulersBelgium, United Kingdom
Rock Bottom RiserFern SilvaUnited States
The SonPesarNoushin MerajiIran
The Story of Southern IsletNan wuChong Keat AunMalaysia
Thomas the High JumperThomas der HochspringerLeri MatehhaGermany
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk HorrorKier-La JanisseUnited States

Cinema Regained

The programme offered restored classic films, documentaries on film culture and explorations of cinema's heritage.[10]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)YearProduction countrie(s)
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8Shunji Iwai2020Japan
The Tenth of MayDer 10. MaiFranz Schnyder1957Switzerland
All Other Things EqualAnya Tsyrlina2020Russia
Amos Gitaï, la violence et l'histoireLaurent Roth2021France
The Amusement ParkGeorge A. Romero1975United States
Ayako Tachibana Wants to Go ViralTachibana Ayako wa miraretaiSato Amane2020Japan
Black CatTanaami Keiichi1972Japan
The Calm After the StormComo el cielo después de lloverMercedes Gaviria2020Colombia, Argentina
CamilaMaría Luisa Bemberg1984Argentina, Spain
Careless CrimeJenayat-e bi deghatShahram Mokri2020Iran
CharismaAmos Gitai1976Israel
Chess of the WindShatranj-e baadMohammad Reza Aslani1976Iran
Cinephilia Now: Part 1 – Secrets Within WallsEiga ai no genzai: Part 1 – Kabe no mukodeSasaki Yusuke2020Japan
The Crown Jewels of IranGanǧīneh-hāye GouharEbrahim Golestan1965Iran
The DeerGavaznhāMasoud Kimiai1974Iran
The DemonIl demonioBrunello Rondi1963Italy, France
The DinosaurDinosaurusVeikko Aaltonen2021Finland
The Earth Is a Sinful SongMaa on syntinen lauluRauni Mollberg1973Finland
Everything Is CinemaDon Palathara2021India
Fat ChanceStephen Broomer2021Canada
Hands Up Mr. RasnichiHal Clay, Florenz Fuchs von Nordhoff1967West Germany
Hopper/WellesOrson Welles2020United States
The Living HeroesGyvieji didvyriaiArūnas Žebriūnas, Balys Bratkauskas, Vytautas Žalakevičius, Marijonas Giedrys1959Lithuania
María Luisa Bemberg: El eco de mi vozMaría Luisa Bemberg: The Echo of My VoiceAlejandro Maci2021Argentina
Mat MagicMat Sentol, John Calvert1971Singapore
MÍR: Hundred Years of RevolutionMÍR: Byltingin lengi lifiHaukur Hallsson2020Iceland, Czech Republic
Modern Korea – Doing Our Best the People's NetworkModern Korea – Jeongseongeul da haneun gungminui bangsongJi-sun Youm2020South Korea
Neck 'n' NeckWalt Disney1928United States
Nomads of the SunLes nomades du soleilHenry Brandt1953Switzerland
The Philosophy of Horror – A Symphony of Film TheoryA horror filozófiájaPéter Lichter, Bori Máté2020Hungary
Les rendez-vous de l'étéJacques Ertaud, Raymond Zumstein1966France
Sea PalaceUmi no kyūdenMasaoka Kenzō1927Japan
Switzerland PondersLa Suisse s'interrogeHenry Brandt1964Switzerland
Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million RyoTange Sazen yowa: Hyakuman ryō no tsuboSadao Yamanaka1935Japan
There Are Not Thirty-Six Ways of Showing a Man Getting on a HorseNo existen treinta y seis maneras de mostrar cómo un hombre se sube a un caballoNicolás Zukerfeld2020Argentina
The Village Detective: a Song CycleBill Morrison2021United States
Vincent van Go-GoHal Clay, Florenz Fuchs von Nordhoff1967West Germany

Harbour

The programme showcased contemporary cinema.[11]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery RebusSlučajna raskoš prozirnog vodenog rebusaDalibor BarićCroatia
Amor fatiCláudia VarejãoPortugal, Switzerland, France
The Belly of the SeaEl ventre del marAgustí VillarongaSpain
Birds of AmericaJacques LoeuilleFrance
The Blue DanubeKimajimegakutai no BonyarisensoIkeda AkiraJapan
BloodsuckersBlutsaugerJulian RadlmaierGermany
Bottled Songs 1-4Chloé Galibert-Laîné, Kevin B. LeeGermany, France, United States
Capitu and the ChapterCapitu e o capítuloJúlio BressaneBrazil
DavosDaniel Hoesl, Julia NiemannAustria
The Day TodayAu jour d'aujourd'huiMaxence StamatiadisFrance
Death on the StreetsJohan CarlsenGermany, Denmark, Greece
DecameronRita Hui Nga ShuHong Kong
Fabian – Going to the DogsFabian oder Der Gang vor die HundeDominik GrafGermany
Fan GirlAntoinette JadaonePhilippines
Faraway My Shadow WanderedLiao Jiekai, Sudhee LiaoSingapore, Taiwan, Japan
Fucking with NobodyHannaleena HauruFinland
Glossary of Non-Human LoveNa manush premer kothamalaAshish AvikunthakIndia
HomelessHom-li-seuLim Seung-hyeunSouth Korea
Hotel on the KoppiesHotele LerallanengCharlie VundlaSouth Africa
Lutar, lutar, lutarSérgio Borges, Helvécio Marins Jr.Brazil
A Man and a CameraGuido HendrikxNetherlands
Minamata MandalaHara KazuoJapan
My Name Is Francesco TottiMi chiamo Francesco TottiAlex InfascelliItaly
Nudo MixtecoÁngeles CruzMexico
Only the WindsKarim KassemLebanon, United States
Persona Non GrataHvor kragerne venderLisa JespersenDenmark
Poly Styrene: I Am a ClichéCeleste Bell, Paul SngUnited Kingdom, India, United States
Poupelle of Chimney TownEntotsu Machi no PoupelleHirota YusukeJapan
The Rain Falls Where It WillAbr baranash gereftehMajid BarzegarIran, Canada
ScarecrowPugaloDmitry DavydovRussia
Self-Portrait 2020Lee Dong-wookSouth Korea
A Song for YouTa yu luo ye dai erDukar TserangChina
TimeRicky KoHong Kong
An Unusual SummerKamal AljafariPalestine
The World to ComeMona FastvoldUnited States

Limelight

The programme showcased cinematic highlights of film festival favourites and international award-winners.[12]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
BeginningDasatskisiDea KulumbegashviliFrance, Georgia
Dead & BeautifulDavid VerbeekNetherlands, Taiwan
Dear Comrades!Dorogie tovarischi!Andrei KonchalovskyRussia
First CowKelly ReichardtUnited States
MandiblesMandibulesQuentin DupieuxFrance
MitraKaweh ModiriNetherlands, Germany, Denmark
Night of the KingsLa nuit des roisPhilippe LacôteFrance, Côte d'Ivoire, Canada
Quo Vadis, Aida?Jasmila ŽbanićBosnia and Herzegovina
Riders of JusticeRetfærdighedens ryttereAnders Thomas JensenDenmark
ShortaAnders Ølholm, Frederik Louis HviidDenmark
Suzanna AndlerBenoît JacquotFrance
SweatMagnus von HornPoland

Short & Mid-length

The programmes highlighted mid-length films and short films.[13]

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
200 Cigarettes from NowTianyu MaChina, United States
AasivissuitJasper CoppesNetherlands, Greenland
Art BlaséErik van LieshoutNetherlands
Bare BonesMeryem LahlouUnited States
BelaPrantik BasuIndia
The Blind RabbitPallavi PaulIndia
Easter EggsNicolas KeppensBelgium, France, Netherlands
Her and IElla i joJaume Claret MuxartSpain
Home Sweet HomeFranck MokaDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Improvised ObjectsKatja VerheulNetherlands
In the Air TonightAndrew Norman WilsonUnited States
In the Footsteps of Li Yuan-chia & Delia DerbyshireMadelon HooykaasNetherlands, United Kingdom
Jesus Egon ChristJesus Egon ChristusDavid Vajda, Saša VajdaGermany
KaimosSarra TsorakidisRomania
The Last OneSonuncuFariz AhmedovAzerbaijan
LataAlisha TejpalIndia
Meet DougLe Boug DougThéo JolletFrance
Message from MukalapJudith WesterveldNetherlands, South Africa
More HappinessLivia HuangUnited States
No One CriedDaniel JacobyNetherlands, Germany
The Old ChildFelipe Esparza PérezFrance
One Image, Two ActsYek tasveer, do bardashtSanaz SohrabiCanada, Germany, United States, Iran
P-9830Michiel van BakelNetherlands
PalmaAlexe PoukineFrance, Belgium
PINPINJaime LevinasArgentina, United States
Riff-RaffRafameiaMariah Teixeira, Nanda FélixBrazil
El rodeoCarlos Melián MorenoCuba
ScylosMaaike Anne StevensNetherlands, United Kingdom
Seeking AlineÀ la recherche d'AlineRokhaya Marieme BaldeSwitzerland
SilenceAmirali NavaeeIran
The TreesRamzi BashourLebanon
TripsitterFrederique PisuisseNetherlands
Underground CemeteryWisarut SriputsomboonThailand
UNEARTH – In Between States of MatterAnika Schwarzlose, Brian D. McKennaRussia, Netherlands, Germany
Unrendered RoadTali LibermanIsrael, Palestine, Netherlands
VeronicaTalita CaselatoBrazil
WorldAshkharChristine HaroutounianArmenia, United States

Awards

Awards and competition

Audience Awards

Critics Awards

  • FIPRESCI Award: The Edge of Daybreak by Taiki Sakpisit
  • KNF Award: Manifesto by Ane Hjort Guttu

References

External links