IFFR maakt competitiefilms bekend

38th International Film Festival Rotterdam
21 januari – 1 februari 2009

PERSBERICHT 7 januari 2009

IFFR maakt competitiefilms bekend

Voor de VPRO Tiger Awards Competitie 2009 van het International Film Festival Rotterdam zijn veertien speelfilms geselecteerd. De selectie omvat eerste of tweede films, waaronder acht wereldpremières, uit alle continenten. De winnaars van de drie gelijkwaardige VPRO Tiger Awards ontvangen ieder 15.000 euro. Voor het eerst zijn films uit Turkije, Nieuw Zeeland en Indonesië opgenomen in competitie.
De Tiger Awards Competitie voor korte films omvat zevenentwintig films (waaronder de nieuwe film van Joost Rekveld) korter dan 60 minuten; aan elk van de drie gelijkwaardige Tiger Awards voor korte film is een bedrag verbonden van 3.000 euro.

De VPRO Tiger Awards Competitie 2009 start met A l’ouest de Pluton (At West of Pluto), de wereldpremière van het speelfilmdebuut van de uit Montreal afkomstige filmmakers Henri Bernadet & Myriam Verreault en eindigt met Alicia Scherson’s tweede speelfilm Turistas (Tourists) uit Chili. De veertien genomineerde films bieden een rijk palet met onderwerpen, stijlen en locaties.
De lange geschiedenis van het IFFR met de jonge Aziatische cinema wordt weerspiegeld in de selectie van niet minder dan acht films uit Azië. Naast de eerder aangekondigde producties uit Japan (Dark Harbour), Korea (Breathless), Indonesië (Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly) en Taiwan (No puedo vivir sin ti) is dit onder meer de aangrijpende tweede speelfilm Floating in Memory van Peng Tao uit China. De opvolger van zijn gewaardeerde Little Moth kwam tot stand met een bijdrage voor digitale productie van het Hubert Bals Fonds. In totaal ontvingen vier competitiefilms bijdragen van het twintig jaar geleden opgerichte fonds van het IFFR; het festival benadrukt hiermee nog eens de grote betrokkenheid bij filmmakers uit ontwikkelingslanden.

The Strength of Water, de eerste film uit Nieuw Zeeland die in de Rotterdamse competitie is opgenomen, werd als project geselecteerd voor de CineMart in 2002. De film, met een authentiek en meeslepend verhaal dat zich aan de kust zich afspeelt onder de Maori gemeenschap, werd gecoproduceerd door het Duitse Pandora Film.

Wrong Rosary, de eerste film uit Turkije in het veertienjarige bestaan van de VPRO Tiger Awards Competitie, is een love story die zich afspeelt in hedendaags Istanboel geschreven en geregisseerd door Mahmut Fazil Coskun. Andere Europese films zijn Schottentor, de intieme en bedachtzame tweede speelfilm van Caspar Pfaundler uit Oostenrijk, het Franse speelfilmdebuut Sois sage (Be Good) van Juliette Garcia en, onderdeel van de uitstekende delegatie Britse films in dit festival, Dogging: A Love Story van Simon Ellis.

De VPRO Tiger Awards Jury bestaat uit Marlene Dumas (Zuid-Afrika/Nederland), de Turkse schrijfster en filmmaker Yesim Ustaoglu (haar Journey to the Sun (1999) en recente Pandora’s Box, beide gesteund door het Hubert Bals Fonds, worden in het festival vertoond), PARK Ki-Yong, directeur van de Koreaanse Kunstacademie en co-directeur van het Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival, de Hongaarse schrijver, filmmaker en acteur Kornél Mundruczó (zijn Delta wordt vertoond in het festival) en Kent Jones, programmadirecteur van de Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York.

De jury van de Tiger Awards Competitie voor korte films bestaat uit de Maleisische schrijfster en filmmaker TAN Chui Mui (haar zeven nieuwe korte films worden tijdens het festival vertoond), Maria Pallier, filmaankoper en programmamaker van de Spaanse omroep TVE en de Britse journalist, curator en beeldend kunstenaar George Clark.

IFFR 2009 opent met The Hungry Ghosts, Michael Imperioli’s debuut als filmmaker op woensdag 21 januari. The Hungry Ghosts strijdt ook mee voor een van de drie VPRO Tiger Awards, die bekend gemaakt worden op vrijdag 30 januari. Het festival verwacht circa 3.000 gasten. Het volledige programma verschijnt donderdag 15 januari online op www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com en als bijlage bij de Volkskrant. De online kaartverkoop start zaterdag 17 januari, de kaartverkoop aan de festivalkassa’s op dinsdag 20 januari.


De 27 korte films in de Tiger Awards Competitie voor korte films 2009:
(alfabetisch op internationale filmtitel)

#37 by Joost Rekveld, (Netherlands, 2009), 29’, World premiere
Bernadette by Duncan Campbell, (United Kingdom, 2008), 38’
Block B by Chris Chong Chan Fui, (Malaysia/Canada, 2008), 20’, European premiere
Brises by Enrique Ramirez, (France/Chile, 2008), 13’, International premiere
City of Production by Laurent Gutierrez and Valerie Portefaix, (Hong Kong, 2008), 52’, World premiere
Coagulate by Mihai Grecu, (France, 2008), 6’, International premiere
Despair by Galina Myznikova and Sergey Provorov, (Russia, 2009), 30’, World premiere
Entre chiens et loups by Jean-Gabriel Périot, (France, 2008), 29’
Film Far Beyond a God, A by Waël Noureddine, (France, 2008), 40’, International premiere
Ghosts and Gravel Roads by Mike Rollo, (Canada, 2008), 16’
Man and Gravity by Jakrawal Nilthamrong, (Thailand, 2009), 10’, World premiere
Más se perdió by Stephen Connolly, (United Kingdom, 2009), 14’, World premiere
Möbel der Proportionen, Die, by Yves Netzhammer, (Switzerland, 2008), 28’
Myth Labs by Martha Colburn, (USA, 2009), 8’ World premiere (Distributie NL door Filmbank)
Necessary Music by Beatrice Gibson, (United Kingdom, 2008), 20’, European premiere
O'er the Land by Deborah Stratman, (USA, 2008), 52’, International premiere
Optical Vacuum by Dariusz Kowalski, (Austria, 2008), 55’
Oracle by Sebastian Diaz Morales, (Netherlands/Argentina, 2007), 11’
Origin of the Species by Ben Rivers, (United Kingdom, 2008), 16’
Presentation Theme by Jim Trainor, (USA, 2008), 14’, European premiere
Purgatorio by Lav Diaz, (Philippines, 2008), 16’, International premiere
Red-light District Graffiti by Kasumi Hiraoka, (Japan, 2008), 28’
ruissellements du diable, Les, by Keren Cytter, (Germany, 2008), 10’
Six Apartments by Reynold Reynolds, (Germany, 2007), 12’, International premiere
Sphinx on the Seine by Paul Clipson, (USA/Russia, 2008), 9’, International premiere
vie lointaine, La, by Sebastien Betbeder, (France, 2008), 56’
zasto ne govorim srpski (na srpskom) by Phil Collins, (United Kingdom/Kosovo, 2008), 35’



De 14 films in IFFR 2009’s VPRO Tiger Awards Competitie
(alfabetisch op internationale filmtitel)

At West of Pluto (À l'ouest de Pluton) by Henri Bernadet & Myriam Verreault
(Canada, 2009), World premiere

Be Calm and Count to Seven (Aram bash va ta haft beshmar) by Ramtin Lavafipour
(Iran, 2008), European premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (Babi buta yang ingin terbang) by Edwin
(Indonesia, 2008), European premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film

Breathless (Ddongpari) by YANG Ik-June
(South Korea, 2008), International premiere

Dark Harbour (Futoko) by NAITO Takatsugu
(Japan, 2008), International premiere

Dogging: A Love Story by Simon Ellis
(United Kingdom, 2009), World premiere

Floating in Memory (Liu li) by PENG Tao
(China, 2009), World premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film

The Hungry Ghosts by Michael Imperioli
(USA, 2009), World premiere and IFFR 2009 Opening Film

No puedo vivir sin ti by Leon Dai
(Taiwan, 2008), International premiere

Schottentor by Caspar Pfaundler
(Austria, 2009), World premiere

Sois sage (Be Good) by Juliette Garcias
(France, Denmark, 2008), European premiere

The Strength of Water by Armagan Ballantyne
(New Zealand, Germany, 2008), World premiere

Turistas (Tourists) by Alicia Scherson
(Chile, 2009), World premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film

Wrong Rosary (Uzak ihtimal) by Mahmut Fazil Coskun
(Turkey, 2009), World premiere


(einde persbericht)

Noten aan de redactie, niet voor publicatie:

Zie bijgaand: IFFR 2009 VPRO Tiger Awards Competitie inclusief korte inhoud en sales contact.

Persinformatie/beeldmateriaal/interviews: IFFR Press Office, Bert-Jan Zoet or Nancy van Oorschot, [email protected] of 010 890 9090



FACTSHEET IFFR 2009 VPRO Tiger Awards Competitie


De 14 films in IFFR 2009’s VPRO Tiger Awards Competitie
(alfabetisch op internationale filmtitel)


Dogging: A Love Story by Simon Ellis
(United Kingdom, 2009), World premiere
Production: Vertigo Films. Sales contact: Protagonist Pictures, Charlotte van Weede, [email protected], +44 207 3065155

Multi award winning director Simon Ellis’s debut feature is a heartfelt comic tale, and a sharp observation on the perils, pitfalls and wrong turns of romance in the 21st century. In a bid to get his life back on track and coerced by his womanising flatmate, aspiring journalist Dan is introduced to the al fresco sex scene that is ‘dogging’.


Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (Babi buta yang ingin terbang) by Edwin
(Indonesia, 2008), European premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film
Production & Sales: Babibutafilm, Meiske Taurisia, [email protected], +62 812 9405664

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly, first feature of Edwin, offers a kaleidoscopic picture of the Indonesian Chinese minority across the experiences of Linda, who encounters both other Chinese Indonesians and non-Chinese Indonesians, all with obsessive agenda of their own.


At West of Pluto (À l'ouest de Pluton) by Henri Bernadet & Myriam Verreault
(Canada, 2009), World premiere
Production: Vostok Films Ltd. Sales: E1 Films International, Anick Poirier, [email protected], +1 514 841 1910 ext.234

The day-to-day lives of a dozen teens living in the Québec suburbs, told over a 24-hour period. In this web of stories that mixes humour and drama, each character confronts the perceptions they have of one another; more importantly, they confront themselves.


Schottentor by Caspar Pfaundler
(Austria, 2009), World premiere
Production and sales: Nanook Film, Peter Roehsler, [email protected], +43 6991 2034200

The ‘Schottenpassage’, an underground railway station in Vienna, receives thousands of visitors each day. Pfaundler chose this place as the arena for his film, original in its form and substance, about people's deeper motivations. He allows several people, in no hurry on their way to a familiar destination, to stop time briefly with daydreams about possible encounters and attempts to make more authentic contact with their true selves.


Dark Harbour (Futoko) by NAITO Takatsugu
(Japan, 2008), International premiere
Production: PFF Partners. Sales: PIA Film Festival, Miki Ohi, [email protected], +81 332651425

Manzo, a 38-year-old bachelor, goes out to sea day after day on the fishing boat. One day, at the Japanese port town where he lives, a party sponsored by the town office for prospective brides to meet the bachelors in town takes place. Manzo wears his best outfit but the result is a crushing defeat. When a mysterious mother and son suddenly appear in his house, Manzo eventually warms up to the two intruders and a strange house-sharing situation is born.


No puedo vivir sin ti by Leon Dai
(Taiwan, 2008), International premiere
Production: Luminoso Film Co., Ltd. Sales: FAME Universal Entertainment Limited, Ramy Choi, [email protected], +852 9 2573619

A realistic drama set in a Taiwanese fishing village where Wu-Hsiung Li, a middle-aged man, tries in vain to get his household registered. Ever since his girlfriend left, he has raised their daughter. Now the girl has to enter elementary school, he tries in vain to become her foster parent. The helpless father decides to hold his daughter and jump down from the pedestrian bridge.


Wrong Rosary (Uzak ihtimal) by Mahmut Fazil Coskun
(Turkey, 2009), World premiere
Production & Sales: Hokus Fokus, [email protected], +90 533 810 57 97

A wonderful atmospheric tale from Istanbul, where a peculiar love story takes place: muezzin Musa falls for his neighbour, the Catholic nurse Clara. The story gets even more exceptional when Musa meets Yakup, who turns out to be connected with Clara.


Sois sage (Be Good) by Juliette Garcias
(France, Denmark, 2008), European premiere
Production: Slot Machine & Zentropa Entertainment. Sales: TrustNordisk, Susan Wendt, [email protected], +45 3686 8769

Sois Sage tells the story of a young woman searching for the love of her life in an effort to understand and ease the sorrow of a break-up. She has been a good girl, far too good, because the man she loves, and the man who loved her, is her own father. Sois Sage dares to tackle the painfully difficult issue of the love that lies at the heart of incest.


Be Calm and Count to Seven (Aram bash va ta haft beshmar) by Ramtin Lavafipour
(Iran, 2008), European premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film
Production & Sales: Aftab e honar afarin, [email protected]

Feature début film from Iran tells about people on the country's southern islands who make their living smuggling a variety of goods, on the run from the local police. Shot in a pure, realistic style reminiscent of earlier Iranian masters.


Breathless (Ddongpari) by YANG Ik-June
(South Korea, 2008), International premiere
Production: Mole Film . Sales: Showbox / Mediaplex, Inc, Sonya Kim, [email protected], +82 2 3218 5636

After witnessing the death of his mother and sister, Sang-hoon has grown up with violence. Day by day, Sang-hoon tries to overcome the violence in his life. A happenstance meeting with a high school girl leads to second and third ones, and the two gradually find out more about themselves through each other.


Turistas (Tourists) by Alicia Scherson
(Chile, 2009), World premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film
Production: La Ventura Ltda. & Paraíso Production Diffusion. Sales: La Ventura Ltda., Macarena Lopez, [email protected], +56 2 2752015

Carla hesitates. She is 37, she is married, possibly pregnant and she is supposed to be happy while she travels towards summer vacation along with her husband. But maybe she prefers to be hitchhiking with a random Norwegian backpacker heading to a beautiful national park where she could walk among big trees and talk about birds and old pop songs with the park ranger. In Turistas, Scherson combines her background as an observant biologist with her great cinematographic talent for details and furtive emotions.

The Hungry Ghosts by Michael Imperioli
(USA, 2009), World premiere and IFFR 2009 Opening Film
Production & Sales: Cicala Filmworks, Stefan Schaefer, [email protected], +1 917 364 7240

In The Hungry Ghosts, Imperioli’s characters float like ghosts through life, looking for happiness, hoping to fulfil a desire. The film, set in New York and its surroundings in a period of 36 hours, contains several narrative lines. It becomes clear and inevitable that initially independent narrative lines will come together in the end.


The Strength of Water by Armagan Ballantyne
(New Zealand, Germany, 2008), World premiere
Production: Filmwork Ltd. & Pandora Film Produktion GmbH. Sales: NZ-Film, Kathleen Drumm, [email protected], +64 4 3827680

The northern coast of New Zealand forms the backdrop for a story set in a small Maori community. The little boy Kimi Kaneha is suffering greatly after the death of his twin sister. He doesn't really accept her death. He isn't taken very seriously, but does seem to have more insight than everyone thinks. His strange way of coming to terms with his sister's death might just work.


Floating in Memory (Liu li) by PENG Tao
(China, 2009), World premiere, Hubert Bals Fund supported film
Production & Sales: New Youth Independent Film Studio, ZENG Wenwen, [email protected], +86 13146073140

As young adults flood into the rural cities of China in search of work, this is the tale of one man's seduction of an underage girl to prostitute herself. This story of the weak exploiting the weaker takes an unexpected turn when the young man suddenly disappears and the girl is confronted with her pregnancy. The film charts a journey not just of a young girl robbed of her innocence but also of a country dealing with its own growing pains.


(einde fact sheet)
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International Film Festival Rotterdam
PRESS OFFICE


Bert-Jan Zoet, Head of Media Relations / Press Officer
Nancy van Oorschot, Assistant Press Officer
Edwige Leblay, Press Accreditations/Press Desk Coordinator
Lisa Gribling, Press Office Intern



P.O. Box 21696
3001 AR ROTTERDAM
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tel + 31 10 890 90 90
fax + 31 10 890 90 91

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38th International Film Festival Rotterdam: 21 January - 1 February 2009