Five CineMart films selected for Cannes

International Film Festival Rotterdam

PRESS RELEASE May 4, 2011, update May 10, 2011

The International Film Festival Rotterdam congratulates filmmakers Ruben Östlund, Liza Johnson, Leïla Kilani, Andrey Zvyagintsev and Bakur Bakuradze with the selection of their films in the Un Certain Regard and Quinzaine sections of the upcoming Cannes film festival. All four films were launched internationally as CineMart Projects.

The Hunter, written and directed by Bakur Bakuradze, premieres in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. The Russian filmmaker attended the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2009 to present his début feature film Shultes in IFFR’s Bright Future section and to present The Hunter at CineMart. Zvyagintsev's debut feature The Return, winner of a Golden Lion in Venice, was screened during IFFR 2004. His new film Elena, now selected for Un Certain Regard, was a CineMart Project in 2010.

Among the films in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, three were CineMart Projects. Swedish director Ruben Östlund’s third film Play as well as his acclaimed second feature film Involuntary were CineMart Projects in 2009 and 2007 respectively. American filmmaker Liza Johnson attended the Rotterdam film festival with her short films Falling (2004) and Desert Motel (2005). She returned to Rotterdam to present her début feature film Return (picture) as CineMart Project in 2008. Moroccan filmmaker Leïla Kilani’s Sur la planche was supported for script development by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund in 2008; she returned to the festival in 2009 to present this début feature film at CineMart 2009.

The 41st International Film Festival Rotterdam takes place from 25 January through to 5 February 2012; within the festival the 29th CineMart takes place January 29-February 1 2012. IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund, the largest of its kind worldwide, provides grants for script development, digital production, post production or distribution to independent filmmakers in developing countries. CineMart is the world’s first and largest co-production market for low and medium-budget film projects.

For more information, film entry or application deadlines see www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com.

Un Certain Regard 2011 includes:

The Hunter by Bakur Bakuradze (Russia)
Selected for CineMart 2009

Elena by Andrey Zvyagintsev (Russia)

Selected for CineMart 2010

 

Quinzaine des Réalisateurs 2011 includes:

Play by Ruben Östlund (Sweden)
Selected for CineMart 2009

Return by Liza Johnson (US)
Selected for CineMart 2008

Sur la planche by Leïla Kilani (Morocco)
Hubert Bals Fund support for script development (2008)
Selected for CineMart 2009


(End of press release)

Note to the editor:

Press information:
IFFR Press Office, Bert-Jan Zoet, [email protected], +31 10 8909090