46th International Film Festival Rotterdam

25 January - 5 February 2017

Rotterdam, 24 January 2017

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) invests both in talent and in technology in order to keep cinema relevant and vibrant. IFFR’s co-production market CineMart and film tech hub Propellor are entering into a cooperation with Océ  – A Canon Company - a global leader in digital imaging & printing. During CineMart 2017 the Propellor | Kickstart event will take place, developing new models for the production, distribution and screening of films. The best idea presented after the workshops will win the Canon Innovation Award.

Propellor | Kickstart is the first event of Propellor, a cooperation between IFFR, Berlinale’s European Film Market, CPH:Dox in Copenhagen and Berlin-based Cinemathon. This event links up the film industry with developments in information technology. Marit van den Elshout, head of IFFR PRO, is proud of the cooperation with Océ and Canon: “It’s important for the entire Propellor project that every partner is at home in areas other than film that can help take the project further. With big companies like these, which invests in technology and innovation, we have found a partner not only for this event. This cooperation is also of great value in the further development of Propellor: thanks to the exchange of knowledge, we are able to develop innovative business models at different levels.”

“As inventors, we know how innovation works. Our long history proves that innovation is really in our DNA ” says Floor Schmeitz of Océ. “We invest over 150 million euros annually in Research & Development to build the printing technologies of the future. We also embrace opportunities outside of printing, and look forward to exploring the possibilities for innovation in the film industry. We are happy to be a sponsor of this platform, and to support various initiatives throughout the year.” 

The Propellor Kickstart event takes place on 31 January and 1 February in Rotterdam. 40 participants were selected to attend the event from over 80 submissions. Experts from both the film and tech/start-up world have been invited to join the participants to test the different ideas and give feedback. Two ideas will be selected by the mentors and other participants to be pitched at the CineMart Closing Night. The audience at the event will vote on which project will win the Canon Innovation Award. The award includes travel, accommodation and participation in the Propellor bootcamp in Berlin this summer.Other partners of the Propellor | Kickstart are the Cambridge Innovation Center Rotterdam, Venture Café and Creative Europe Desk NL. 

Founded in 1877, Océ is a global leader in digital imaging and industrial printing. Océ’s mission is to drive new digital imaging technologies and transform these into local imaging products and services for both blue-chip multinationals around the globe and creative studios around the corner. As a Canon Group Company, Océ operates a vast global network of R&D centres to connect emerging digital print technologies to future markets. Océ is headquartered in the Netherlands, in the heart of Europe’s hi-tech corridor.