International Film Festival Rotterdam!
International Film Fesitval Rotterdam!
After this year's winter lockdown, I can imagine that with me many students had hoped for a reopening of the cultural sector. Going to live concerts, finally watching cinematic masterpieces on the big screen, going for Sunday museum dates and dancing and singing the night away in Rotterdam's clubs and bars, all sounds like heaven to me at the moment. However, with the lockdown coming to an end and the stores and gyms opening up again, life is for sure a bit more joyful and optimistic, and upcoming week the International Film Festival Rotterdam is taking place! Again an all online event, but nonetheless a very exciting and noteworthy event. The annual international film festival Rotterdam is one of the most important and biggest film festivals in the Netherlands. This year IFFR hosts its 51st edition of their international film festival, but because of the current covid measures all online this year.
Since IFFR’s foundation in 1972, the film festival’s focus has been placed mainly on independent, alternative, innovative, non-commercial, and experimental filmmaking, presenting work by upcoming filmmakers, arthouse films, short films, media art, documentary films, and experimental films. The focus is placed on recent work by talented new filmmakers. And not only on western film makers, but also on non western filmmakers and filmmakers from developing countries.
“With 340,000 admissions and almost 2,700 film professionals attending (346 of whom are filmmakers), IFFR is one of the largest audience and industry-driven film festivals in the world. The festival's Official Selection includes more than 570 feature, mid-length, and short films from almost 90 countries and also offering a high-quality line-up of exhibitions, performances, masterclasses and talks.”
The festival normally screens films at locations such as Kino, Worm, de Doelen, Lantaren Venster, Pathe and Theater Schouwburg, Cinerama, and Oude Luxor Theater, however, this year the screenings will be available online. From the 27th of january, till the 6th of february the online films are available on demand and can be watched only from within the Netherlands. This means you can enjoy the flexibility and create your own festival schedule. With a ticket, you may watch the film once, any time between 27 January at 9:00 to 6 February at 21:00.
There are two exemptions, the opening and the closing night are live timed screenings. The opening film this year is Please Baby Please, a movie made by the American musician and filmmaker Amanda Kramer. On the closing night, Dragon Inn can be watched live. Throughout the festival, all the IFFR talks are free and available for everyone worldwide, and for movie screenings regular tickets are €8,50. Everyone under the age of 23 can purchase a ticket for €5,00. Access to the film is connected to your account, you purchase one ticket per account, regardless of how many people will be watching with you in the same room. Per account the film can only be watched once.
I hope I have inspired some of you to take a look at the festival’s program and buy one or more tickets!