International Film Festival Rotterdam Unveils First Wave of World Premieres for 56th Edition

The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has announced the initial selection of world premieres for its upcoming 56th edition, scheduled to run from January 28 to February 7. The first wave comprises 10 titles screening across the festival’s Bright Future and Harbour sections.

Festival director Vanja Kaludjercic stated that the selected films offer a wide range of storytelling approaches, spanning the playful, provocative, intimate, and politically urgent. The complete program for the 56th IFFR is scheduled to launch on December 16.

Harbour Section Highlights

The Harbour strand features several returning filmmakers alongside new voices:

• "Karl Marx, Luanda" (Angola, Portugal) – Directed by Kiluanji Kia Henda, this satirical future history imagines Angola renewing itself as a Marxist state through a time-travelling love story and Afro sci-fi-spaghetti western.
• "Ali and Ben’s Spicy Meats" (Malaysia) – Directed by Feisal Azizuddin and Iskander Azizuddin, this comedy horror follows broke friends who discover a magic recipe made from human meat.
• "Waiting Room" (France) – Directed by Omer Shamir, this documentary portrait follows Palestinian photojournalist Mohammed Zaanoun and his family over a year after relocating to Egypt.
• "The Lapse" (Taiwan, U.K.) – Directed by Rita Hui Nga Shu, this film-essay layers life, declassified documents, and an AI-cloned voice regarding life for Hong Kongers.
• "Tehran the Obscure Atelier of Desire" (Iran) – Directed by Ali Bakhtiari, this documentary captures artists in Tehran working in their studios amidst looming war threats.
• "Yiannis" (Cyprus, Greece) – Directed by Kyros Papavassiliou, this drama follows a Cypriot teenager and his mother searching for a missing body and a mysterious bird psychologist.

Bright Future Section Highlights

Bright Future showcases feature-length debuts with diverse subjects:

• "The Muglur" (Mexico, Argentina) – Directed by Lucila Las Heras, this dark fairy tale follows a writer making a pact with a strange creature.
• "In the Name of Galeela" (Egypt) – Directed by Mohamed El Zayat, this dramedy follows a community hiding a stolen pilgrimage fund from a blind grandmother.
• "Kids Go Free" (U.S., Taiwan, Japan) – Directed by Ben Hicks, this debut feature explores worldly adventures, love, and economic security over 15 years.
• "Portrait of a Young Criminal" (U.S., Nepal) – Directed by Parbat Chapagai, this is a psychological adaptation of Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” set in small-town Nepal.

Practical Implications and Verification

As these titles are festival selections, specific theatrical or streaming distribution details, exact showtimes, and ratings outside of their confirmed world festival premieres remain subject to future distributor announcements. Viewers and industry professionals can verify updates and view the complete program upon its release on December 16 by visiting the official IFFR website.