Rotterdam, 5 February 2016

This evening, the IFFR 2016 Awards Ceremony was held at IFFR’s main venue ‘de Doelen’. The winner of the Hivos Tiger Awards Competition is Radio Dreams by Babak Jalali. The FIPRESCI Award went to Bodkin Ras by Kaweh Modiri. The Warsteiner Audience Award went to audience favourite Land of Mine by Martin Zandvliet. Land of Mine also won the MovieZone Award, chosen by the young people's MovieZone jury from EYE. The VPRO Big Screen Award went to Les ogres by Léa Fehner. The KNF Award went to De waarneming (The Perception) by Frank Scheffer. The NETPAC Award for the best Asian feature film screening in official selection went to The Plague at the Karatas Village by Adilkhan Yerzhanov. The Dioraphte Award was won by El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent) by Ciro Guerra. The inaugural Bright Future Award was taken home by Melisa Liebenthal for Las lindas.

On announcing the awards, festival director Bero Beyer commented: “IFFR 2016 has been an edition with many inspiring, thought-provoking and engaging cinematic achievements from all over the world. I am grateful and excited, the selection really seemed to resonate with both industry guests and audience. On behalf of IFFR I would like to congratulate the winners and all the films and projects that were part of the official selection this year. Thank you to the filmmakers for creating such wonderful films and allowing us to be part of your journey.”

Visitors of IFFR determine through a voting system which film is the audience favourite. The film with the highest average vote in the audience poll wins the Warsteiner Audience Award. The award includes a cash prize of €10,000. 

Winner: Land of Mine by Martin Zandvliet

The Dioraphte Award goes to the Hubert Bals Fund-supported film receiving the highest votes from the festival audience. The award includes a cash prize of €10,000. 

Winner: El abrazo de la serpiente by Ciro Guerra

The MovieZone Award is chosen from the feature film section by the young people's MovieZone jury from EYE.

Winner: Land of Mine by Martin Zandvliet

The jury on the winner: “A nerve-racking film which will keep you in its grip from beginning to end. While living in constant fear of death, small acts of tenderness and humanity steers the film into an emotional direction. The cast’s small but intense acting will leave you watching with a lump in your throat.” 

Selection: Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson; Arianna, Carlo Lavagna; As I Open My Eyes, Leyla Bouzid; Beyond Sleep, Boudewijn Koole; Demolition, Jean-Marc Vallée; Land of Mine, Martin Zandvliet; Montanha, João Salaviza; Problemski Hotel, Manu Riche; Tanna, Martin Butler, Bentley Dean; The Idol, Hany Abu-Assad; This Summer Feeling, Mikhaël Hers 

The FIPRESCI Award is given to the filmmaker of the best film in Bright Future by the jury of the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique (FIPRESCI). Bright Future films that have their world premiere during IFFR and are not included in a competition, qualify for this award. 

Winner: Bodkin Ras by Kaweh Modiri

The jury on the winner: “Bodkin Ras, by writer-director Kaweh Modiri, throws an actor – portraying a mysterious foreigner – into the real environment of a small Scottish town. This fascinating hybrid of documentary and fiction is filled with unforgettable characters, a strong sense of place and an urgency that turns the experiment into a thrilling and humanistic film.”

Selection: Alba, Ana Cristina Barragán; Bodkin Ras, Kaweh Modiri; Esa sensación, Juan Cavestany, Pablo Hernando, Julián Génisson; Mama, Vlado Skafar; Pacífico, Fernanda Romandía; Of Shadows, Yi Cui; Out of Love, Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito; Tenemos la carne, Emiliano Rocha Minter; The Plague at the Karatas Village, Adilkhan Yerzhanov; The Shell Collector, Tsubota Yoshifumi; The Sprawl (Propaganda About Propaganda), Metahaven

Jury: Yael Shuv; Kevin B. Lee; Dragan Jurak; Joost Broeren; Toni Junyent; Taylor Hess; Archana Nathan; Martin Kudlac

The NETPAC Award is awarded to the best Asian feature film by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema.

Winner: The Plague at the Karatas Village by Adilkhan Yerzhanov 

The jury on the winner: “A film that is highly original in its cinematic form, while treating topics that are specific to the director’s country but universal at the same time. A story of corruption, the abuse of power and inertia are given an absurdist, Brechtian treatment. The director creates a totally unique universe, somewhere between Ionesco, Kafka and David Lynch. 

Selection: Motel Mist, Prabda Yoon; Of Shadows, Yi Cui; The Cow Farm, Ali Sheikh Khudr; The Plague at the Karatas Village, Adilkhan Yerzhanov; The Shell Collector, Tsubota Yoshifumi; Too Young to Die!, Kankuro Kudo; Where Are You Going, Yang ZhengfanJury: Wood Lin; Chris Oosterom; Mark Schilling

The KNF Award, awarded by ‘The Circle of the Dutch Film Journalists’ goes to a Dutch production or a Dutch co-production with a world premiere at IFFR.

Winner: De waarneming (The Perception) by Frank Scheffer

The jury on the winner: “This year we reflected on Dutch productions and co-productions through fifteen films of great variety: from the wordless mourning in the jungle of La última tierra, to the stream of digital misinformation of The Sprawl (Propaganda About Propaganda). We saw a Dutch stranger integrating in Scotland and a geography student struggling to survive in Norway. We saw other people struggling with their music, with their hearts, their consciousness and with their words. Some of these struggles were captured in striking, innovative and artistic manners that pleased the jury greatly. But there was one film that captured an on-going struggle like no other, a struggle not necessarily with the bigger meaning of art, but with the universal power of images themselves. What makes this film so great is that it is a work of art in its own right: a beautiful portrait about the pursuit of beauty. The winner of the KNF Award 2016 is De waarneming (The Perception) by Frank Scheffer."

Selection: Beyond Sleep, Boudewijn Koole; Bodkin Ras, Kaweh Modiri; Full Contact, David Verbeek; Herberg van het geheugen, Barbara den Uyl; History’s Future, Fiona Tan; The Idol, Hany Abu-Assad; Ik wil gelukkig zijn, Annette Apon; Inside the Mind of Favela Funk, Elise Roodenburg, Fleur Beemster; Oscuro animal, Felipe Guerrero; Out of Love, Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito; De pedaalridder, Ari Deelder; The Sprawl (Propaganda About Propaganda), Metahaven; Stop Acting Now, Mijke de Jong; La última tierra, Pablo Lamar; De waarneming, Frank Scheffer

Jury: Hugo Emmerzael, Tisha Eetgerink; Luuk Imhann; Jelle Schot; Maricke Nieuwdorp

This competition, consisting of eight films that have their international premieres at IFFR, will be judged by a jury of audience members, who will decide which film will assisted in distribution in the Netherlands. The award is worth €30,000. 

Winner: Les ogres by Léa Fehner

The jury on the winner: “The film showed us a very dynamic interaction between the remarkable characters, they interacted very passionately and very pure, as if they had no boundaries; with all its mostly humorous consequences. The film almost invites and warns you at the same time to really feel and to live full of passion. The film makes a very powerful appearance and it kept us intrigued until the end. We enjoyed its energetic filmic qualities and joyful music. The film is an ode to theatre and to its people who seem to belong nowhere else.” 

Selection: Califórnia, Marina Person; Halal Love (and Sex), Assad Fouladkar; Les ogres, Léa Fehner; Love & Friendship, Whit Stillman; Suntan, Argyris Papadimitropoulos; Sayonara, Fukada Koji; This Summer Feeling, Mikhaël Hers; Wild, Nicolette Krebitz 

Jury: VPRO audience jury

From the 2016 edition onward, filmmakers presenting films in the main and thematic programme of IFFR's section Bright Future, will be celebrated with a new award: the Bright Future Award. The award consists of €10,000, to be spent on the development of a next film project. Filmmakers presenting the international or world premiere of their first feature length are eligible.

Winner: Las lindas by Melisa Liebenthal

The jury on the winner: “The winning film convinced us by its playful, endearing and candid way of speaking about a generation, by using an impressive range of creative means. We are extremely curious to see what the director will do next.”

Selection: Alba, Ana Cristina Barragán; Animal político, Tião; The Bear Tales, Samuele Sestieri, Olmo Amato; Bodkin Ras, Kaweh Modiri; Communication & Lies; Lee Seungwon; Fado, Jonas Rothlaender; Jacqueline (Argentine), Bernardo Britto; Las lindas, Melisa Liebenthal; Of Shadows, Yi Cui; Out of Love, Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito; Outfitumentary, K8 Hardy; Pacífico, Fernanda Romandía; The Sprawl (Propaganda About Propaganda), Metahaven; The Strange Case of Shiva, Arun Karthick; Strange Love, Natasha Mendonca; Tenemos la carne, Emiliano Rocha Minter 

Jury: Helge Albers; Roman Gutek; Fiorella Moretti

In the prestigious Hivos Tiger Awards Competition it is not about the well-known names, but about upcoming talent who get a chance to shine on the world stage. As of 2016, eight films will compete in the Hivos Tiger Awards Competition for a single Hivos Tiger Award worth €40,000, to be shared by director and producer. In addition, a special jury award worth €10,000 will be presented to an exceptional artistic achievement within the competition. 

Winner: Radio Dreams by Babak Jalali

The jury on the winner: “For its subtle and humorous reflection on displacement and alienation of a group of misfits in a foreign culture.” 

Winner special jury award: La última tierra by Pablo Lamar, for exceptional artistic achievement in sound design. 

Selection: History’s Future, Fiona Tan; The Land of the Enlightened, Pieter-Jan De Pue; Motel Mist, Prabda Yoon; Oscuro animal, Felipe Guerrero; Radio Dreams, Babak Jalali; La última tierra, Pablo Lamar; Where I Grow Old, Marília Rocha; A Woman, a Part, Elisabeth Subrin 

Jury: Peter van Bueren; Hend Sabry; Anocha Suwichakornpong; Miguel Gomes; Hans Hurch

For four decades, IFFR has proudly developed and presented auteur cinema by helping filmmakers reach the broadest possible audiences. The festival is known around the world for its individual, innovative programming, with particular attention to talented new filmmakers. Quality films from all over the world are presented in Rotterdam to a large, international audience with the aim of inspiring and broadening horizons. 

IFFR is one of the biggest cultural events in the Netherlands, and one of the biggest audience-oriented film festivals in the world. The 45th IFFR will take place from Wednesday 27 January to Sunday 7 February 2016. For twelve days, the latest feature films, documentaries, short films, exhibitions, performances, talkshows and debates make Rotterdam an exciting, global capital city of film. For more information, see IFFR.com.