Vanja Kaludjercic

49th International Film Festival Rotterdam

22 January – 2 February 2020

Rotterdam, 10 December 2019

The supervisory board of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) appoints Vanja Kaludjercic as the new festival director. In this role she will act as the artistic voice of IFFR starting from February 2020.

Kaludjercic brings a wealth of industry experience, both internationally and within the Dutch film landscape – including prior roles at MUBI, Les Arcs European Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Nederlands Film Festival (NFF) and IFFR. Kaludjercic will attend the 49th edition and officially take over from festival director Bero Beyer after the upcoming festival. Together with managing director Marjan van der Haar, Kaludjercic will guide the team into 2021, the celebrational year that marks IFFR’s 50th edition, and into the future.   

Vanja Kaludjercic comments on her appointment: “I look forward to extending the festival’s long-standing reputation for supporting and spearheading the careers of young and upcoming filmmakers worldwide. I admire the festival’s renown for close ties between industry and public, and its extensive support for filmmakers – including the Tiger Competition and Bright Future Competition, as well as the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) programme. I am excited to join the team and I look forward to leading IFFR’s artistic developments in the years to come.”

Chairman of the IFFR supervisory board, Pieter Broertjes adds: “We are very much looking forward to working with this strong team of female directors, consisting of Vanja Kaludjercic and Marjan van der Haar, whose combined experience and vision guarantees new and dynamic perspectives for IFFR’s coming years. The board is certain the festival will maintain its position as a leading light in the independent cinema landscape.”

Managing director Marjan van der Haar: “Vanja’s established voice and bold ideas are sure to benefit IFFR’s ambitions and the festival’s ability to bridge new talent and independent films with wider audiences. Her appreciation of the international landscape is extensive and she is well aware of the challenges that independent artistic films and filmmakers are facing. I strongly believe that together, we can make a difference and strengthen the position of the festival as a global platform for talent.”

Vanja Kaludjercic is currently director of acquisitions at SVOD platform MUBI. Prior to MUBI, Vanja Kaludjercic brought her industry knowledge to IFFR and reshaped IFFR Talks & Masterclasses from 2016 to 2018. Kaludjercic has worked for festivals including Sarajevo Film Festival, Les Arcs European Film Festival, Cinéma du Reel and CPH:DOX. In addition, she has held industry and acquisition roles at companies including Slovenia-based distribution outfit Demiurg and Paris-based sales and production company Coproduction Office. In the last couple of years, Kaludjercic served as a jury member at Berlinale, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), CPH:DOX and many more festivals around the globe. She also intervened as industry advisor for TorinoFilmLab and other expert roles in the European film landscape.

Not for publication: Portrait photo Vanja Kaludjercic via this link (credit: Vera Cornel)