19 filmmakers selected for CineMart

50th International Film Festival Rotterdam1

1 – 7 February | 2 – 6 June 2021

Rotterdam, 16 December 2020

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) announces selection of 17 new film projects for the 38th edition of CineMart. Rotterdam’s co-production market will take place from 1 to 5 February, during the 50th-anniversary edition of IFFR. The filmmakers invited to present their projects during CineMart represent a diverse geographical spread – ranging from Brazil to Iran, from Ukraine to Ethiopia and Ecuador. As part of the online edition of IFFR Pro Days, CineMart will be taking place on the festival’s dedicated online platform, refined in response to the needs of filmmakers and the industry during the global health crisis.

Head of IFFR Pro, Marit van den Elshout: “In receiving the numerous project applications, it was incredibly inspiring to witness the resilience of our industry in these challenging times. We have been especially impressed by the filmmakers who have continued to push boundaries and create original work. The quality of the projects received was very high. Even more than in previous editions, we are determined to try to offer each of the selected projects a tailor-made approach, so to enable everyone involved to get as much out of our online edition of CineMart as possible.”

Three of the selected projects were previously supported by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), with Nele Wohlatz’s ¿Duermen los peces con los ojos abiertos? (HBF 2018), Shahrbanoo Sadat’s Kabul Jan and Truong Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam (both HBF 2020) having received the Script and Project Development grant. Among the selected filmmakers, Ana Cristina Barragán, Shahrbanoo Sadat and Felipe Bragança have had other film projects previously supported by HBF. Eleven of the filmmakers are returning to IFFR after previously screening films at earlier editions, with four of those directors having previously been nominated for IFFR’s flagship Tiger Competition: Vincent Boy Kars (Drama Girl, IFFR 2020), Johannes Nyholm (Koko-di Koko-da, IFFR 2019), and Filipa Reis and João Miller Guerra (Djon África, IFFR 2018).

Notable achievements among the selected filmmakers include Johannes Nyholm’s Grand Jury Prize nomination at Sundance 2019 for Koko-di Koko-da and Special Jury Prize at San Sebastián 2016 for The Giant. In addition, Evi Kalogiropoulou’s Motorway 65 was nominated for Best Short Film at Cannes 2020, Carla Simón won the GWFF Best First Feature Award in Berlin 2017 for Summer 1993 and Nele Wohlatz’s El futuro perfecto both won Best First Feature and was nominated for a Golden Leopard at Locarno 2016.

The upcoming edition of IFFR Pro Days will take place on a dedicated online platform on IFFR.com, from Monday 1 to Friday 5 February. Head of IFFR Pro, Marit van den Elshout, continues: “With supporting the filmmaking community as its main objective, IFFR Pro Days aspires to cultivate connection and collaboration between professionals in a time marked by social distance.”

As part of CineMart 2021 (1 to 5 February), Spotlight events will take place on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 February, placing focus on in-depth discussions with the selected projects and their dedicated mentors. CineMart also presents 4 Immersive projects, in collaboration with VR Days, and 7 BoostNL projects, in collaboration with Netherlands Film Festival. Rotterdam Lab (25 January to 5 February) will offer 70 emerging producers a springboard to the international marketplace. Pro Hub (1 to 5 February) will continue to support filmmakers develop new connections and exchange ideas during the festival by providing one-on-one meetings and daily expert talks.

The CineMart projects are eligible for awards such as the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, the Filmmore Post-Production Award, the ARTEKino International Prize and the Wouter Barendrecht Award. The IFFR Pro Awards Ceremony will take place on 5 February 2021.

• ¿Duermen los peces con los ojos abiertos?, Nele Wohlatz, Ruda Cine/CinemaScópio/Circe Films/Blinker Filmproduktion (Argentina/Brazil/Netherlands/Germany)
• Cora, Evi Kalogiropoulou, Neda Film (Greece)
• Do You Know Anything About OMID?, Keywan Karimi, Key Film/Promenades Films (Iran/France)
• Dreyana Grooms, Gabe Klinger, CogniCine/Black Monarch Entertainment/Les Films Hatari (USA/France)
• A Dutiful Wife, Haolu Wang, Factory Gate Films (China)
• Firehawks, Johannes Nyholm, Johannes Nyholm Produktion/Beofilm (Sweden/Denmark)
• Future Me, Vincent Boy Kars, HALAL (Netherlands)
• Ground Zero, Zhanna Ozirna, RADAR Films (Ukraine)
• The Ivy, Ana Cristina Barragán, Boton Films/BHD Films (Ecuador/Mexico)
• Kabul Jan, Shahrbanoo Sadat, Adomeit Film UG (Germany)
• The Last Tears of the Deceased, Beza Hailu Lemma, Gobez Media/Gobez Media Inc. (Ethiopia/Canada)
• Légua, Filipa Reis/João Miller Guerra, Laranja Zul/Uma Pedra no Sapato/Desvia/KG Productions (Portugal/Brazil/France)
• Macunaíma, Felipe Bragança/Zahy Guajajara, Duas Mariola/Promenades Films/Globo Filmes (Brazil/France)
• Milano, Christina Vandekerckhove, Lunanime/Bastide Films (Belgium/Netherlands)
• Novak, Harry Lagoussis, Heretic/keplerfilm (Greece/Netherlands)
• Romería, Carla Simón, Avalon P.C. (Spain)
• Viet and Nam, Truong Minh Quý, Epicmedia Productions Inc (Vietnam/Philippines)

• Holy Electricity, Vakhtang (Tato) Kotetishvili, Ogasavara Films/Nushi Film/The Film Kitchen/AMONDO films/Stout&Smits (Georgia/Poland/Netherlands)
• Jacobsweg, Eelko Ferwerda, BIND/Vico Films (Netherlands/Ireland)
• De Maalstroom, Teddy Cherim, Graniet Film (Netherlands)
• Marina, Laís Santos Araújo/Pethrus Tibúrcio, Aguda Cinema/Carnaval Filmes (Brazil)
• Marionettes, Arianne Hinz, Rinkel Film/Alchemic Film (Netherlands)
• The Settlement, Mohamed Rashad, Hassala Films/Caractères Productions (Egypt/France)
• Un personaje volador, Martina Juncadella, Una Presencia Cine/Vitrine Filmes (Argentina/Spain)

• A City of Foxes, Nihaarika Negi, Tamanoir Immersive Studios (France/USA)
• Goddess of the Water, João Paulo Miranda Maria, Les Valseurs (France)
• Orphée et Eurydice, Robin Coops/Avinash Changa, M31 Foundation/WeMakeVR (Netherlands)
• Tokoloshe and Other Behemoth Creatures, an African Folk–gore Anthology, Kirstin Lee Grey/Tsoku Maela, different (South Africa)