Audience favourites awarded at IFFR 2014

The 43rd International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) closed with the presentation of the UPC Audience Award for the most highly regarded festival film and the Dioraphte Award for the most highly rated film supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, as voted for by the festival audience. The UPC Audience Award was won by Nebraska by Alexander Payne. The Dioraphte Award went to the official opening film, Qissa, by Anup Singh. Both awards are accompanied by a cash prize of €10,000.

Nebraska tells the tragicomic story of a father and son who travel through economically blighted Nebraska on their way to find a million dollars. Hans Blom, VP Marketing of UPC the Netherlands, stressed the importance of recognising independent cinema. ''Beautiful, engaging and exceptional films deserve a large audience and, in the case of the Audience Award winner Nebraska, this is most certainly the case'', Blom said. UPC presents IFFR films to audiences through Video On Demand in many places throughout the world.

Eleven festival films were realised thanks to support from the Hubert Bals Fund, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Director Anup Singh and three of the actresses from the award winner Qissa stressed the importance of the Fund's support while attending the festival. The film can be seen in cinemas in the Netherlands from April.

The twelve days of the festival showed that film can help us look at Europe in new ways, and that IFFR has stimulated the discussion of European identity.
During the 'State of Europe debate' with IFFR director Rutger Wolfson, artist Thomas Bellinck, Chinese director Xiaolu Guo and her Serbo-Croatian colleague Iva Radivojevic, Guo stressed that, as an outsider, she believes in the dynamism and progressive qualities of European film: ''A second Renaissance is going on in Europe.'' In IFFR's 'Grand Talks' – discussions between filmmakers and Europe experts – Peter Sloterdijk spoke to Andrei Ujica and Claire Simon with Jean-Michel Frodon about various aspects within the theme of Europe.

Interim artistic director Mart Dominicus on 'The State of Europe': ''With the festival programme this year, we have made it clear that Europe is a continent instead of a concept, and a collection of individuals instead of a lot of regulations. We hope that we will be able to sustain the positive vibes this has created for a while longer, until the European elections in May.'' At the end of February, IFFR will release a special supplement in magazine De Groene Amsterdammer, containing conclusions, reflections and results.

With IFFR LIVE!, a step has been taken at the festival towards reaching broader audiences for independent cinema. From 2015, the festival will be literally going out into the world with this initiative. Various films that have their premières at IFFR, in the presence of cast and crew, will be simultaneously screened, including the Q&As, in Europe. There will be a live link in the cinemas so the introduction or Q&A with cast and crew can be screened everywhere.

IFFR 2014 was a successful festival, with an increase in number of visits to 287.000 admissions for its films, exhibitions, live performances, and events.

Press information:
IFFR Press Office, Nancy van Oorschot/Isabelle de Klein/Jodie de Groot, [email protected], +31 (0)10.890.90.90