IFFR Pro Award winners

On Wednesday 29 january 2020, the IFFR Pro Days and the 37th edition of CineMart came to a close at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Six different IFFR Pro Awards were handed out to the most promising projects-in-the-making, including the new Splendor Omnia Award and IFFR Pro Young Network Award.

Head of IFFR Pro, Marit van den Elshout: “This edition of IFFR Pro proved that bringing together talent and ideas, and those who can support them, remains a very relevant thing to do. Cinema and the stories we aim to bring to fruition are relevant and have meaning. I am very proud of this year's edition and look forward to tweaking our endeavours in the future to both create and reflect change.”

The Eurimages Co-production Development Award worth €20,000 is given to one of the selected CineMart or BoostNL projects that is, or will be, a European co-production.

Winning project: Infanta by Natalia Garagiola, Rei Cine (Argentina)

Jury report: “The winning project promises to be an intense drama, with a starting point in real historical events. It is also a reflection on the power of collective delusion and the societal norms that make this possible. After a first film set in an exclusively masculine and contemporary world, this plunge into an all-female universe will be a fitting follow-up. With a strong directorial vision and an evident complicity between producer and director, the jury is pleased to award the Eurimages Co-production Development Award to Infanta.”

Jury members: Rémi Bonhomme, Didar Domehri, Susan Newman-Baudais, Dorien van de Pas

The Filmmore Post-production Award is presented by visual effects and post-production lab Filmmore and comes with a €7,500 prize. Both BoostNL and CineMart projects are eligible.

Winning project: A Shadow Creeps in Silver Trees by John Trengove, Urucu Media (South Africa)

Jury report: “The jury was unanimously intrigued by this psychodrama about whiteness. White people have for a long time dominated the world and are used to look at the world from their point of view. But the world is predominantly not white. This story is about white people who hide beyond the walls of a gated community, only to find out that the danger doesn’t come from the outside but from within.”

Jury members: Ilse Hughan, Annamaria Lodato, Anton Scholten

The ArteKino International Prize worth €6,000 is given to the producer of the best CineMart or BoostNL project to support its financial development.

Winning project: Sleepwalkers by Radu Jude, microFILM (Romania)

Jury report: “A very original and convincing project by a director who has already created an important body of work made of diverse and captivating films. The producer is experienced and competent and their partnership is very solid. The project questions the meaning of intimacy in the age of the internet, and deals with the impact of exposure on the articulation between individuals and our current society.”

Jury members: Ilse Hughan, Annamaria Lodato, Anton Scholten

This prize of €5,000 is awarded by CineMart in partnership with the Wouter Barendrecht Film Foundation to a filmmaker under the age of 35 who has directed three or fewer films. Both BoostNL and CineMart projects are eligible.

Winning project: The Station by Sara Ishaq, Screen Project (Yemen/Jordan)

Jury report: “After careful consideration the jury decided to give the award to a team which we think can make a difference with regard to country’s film culture and industry, or more  precisely the lack of the latter. The Wouter Barendrecht Award 2020 goes to a topical, appealing and accessible project: The Stationby Sara Ishaq, produced by Nadia Eliewat.”

Jury members: Ellis Driessen, Nelleke Driessen

The winner of the new Splendor Omnia Award receives €9,500 worth of post-production at Splendor Omnia Postproduction Studios in Tepoztlán, Mexico. Both BoostNL and CineMart projects are eligible.

Winning project: Celosos hombres blancos by Iván Granovsky, Frutacine/O som e a fúria (Argentina/Portugal)

Jury report: “Celosos hombres blancosexplores new ways of telling a story and is highly original in many aspects and on many levels. We will travel through time, backward and forward and in a certain way, we will be invited to re-think history guided by beautiful and interesting images on the screen. And last but not least, we will, for sure, have a few good laughs.”

Jury members: Ilse Hughan, Annamaria Lodato, Anton Scholten

The new IFFR Pro Young Network Award is worth €2,500 and gives young people a voice as to which project they want to see realised. The core members of the IFFR Young Network pick the winning project out of all projects presented during the IFFR Pro Days.

Winning project: Electric Sleep by Zeynep Dadak, Fenafilm/unafilm (Turkey/Germany)

Jury report: “This daring project captures our generation’s continuous obsession with sleep and productivity. Set in a dystopian society, this project elegantly bridges the gap between the beloved science-fiction genre and independent cinema. As the filmmakers are still in need of funds to close the financing of the film, we feel the urgency to empower these creatives further with this award.”

Jury members: Noah Bos, Celine Yuchao Feng, Tsania Hisbaron, Jildou Loskamp, Sonia Shvets, Borah Spoorenberg