50th International Film Festival Rotterdam1

1 – 7 February | 2 – 6 June 2021

Rotterdam, 13 January 2021

50th edition goes online in February, final confirmations and ticket sales

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) to open reimagined 50th edition online from 1 to 7 February 2021, on the tailor-made platform IFFR.com. Adapting to the latest Covid-19 restrictions, IFFR 2021 invites national audiences and accredited international guests to take part in premiere screenings, the full February film programme and the IFFR Pro Days (1 to 5 February) online. IFFR Talks has been further expanded with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, starring in the festival’s opening film Riders of Justice by director Anders Thomas Jensen. More programme confirmations and practical information complete the February programme ahead of upcoming ticket sales on 22 January.

Festival director Vanja Kaludjercic: “With the online platform at the heart of the reimagined format, we are keeping with our long-established tradition of innovation and experimentation and continue to offer a unique hub for our filmmaking community to access emerging film talent. We look forward to celebrating our 50th edition, kicking off our anniversary online with our community of makers, partners, supporters and audience, through a February programme brimming with works by bold new voices and established filmmakers that are sure to strike a chord. With much enthusiasm, we warmly invite everyone to join us online in February."

IFFR Talks confirms a fifth Big Talk, revealing Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen to discuss his acting career and many collaborations with Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen – including the festival’s opening film, Riders of Justice. The IFFR Talks programme for February is now complete – having previously announced Big Talks with the Robby Müller Award recipient Kelly Reichardt, Benoît Jacquot and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, and Dea Kulumbegashvili and composer Nicolás Jaar. 

Still from opening film: Riders of Justice starring Mads Mikkelsen

IFFR 2021 also presents two unique programmes to be experienced online and in physical form outdoors during the February dates. Tiger on the Loose consists of a series of interactive art installations mapped across Rotterdam in outdoor locations. Audiences will be able to experience film excerpts in an Augmented Reality set-up at their leisure and in complete safety. IFFR 100 proudly exhibits 100 festival posters on IFFR.com and projected onto Rotterdam’s prominent and grand Pathé Schouwburgplein cinema – showcasing 50 posters from the festival’s archive, alongside 50 designs conceived for future editions, venturing all the way to 2071. The exhibition features each edition’s official poster, from the very first designed by Evert Maliangkay to 75B’s latest adaptation of the tiger, alongside designs by Willem de Kooning Academy students who imagine the visual language of IFFR for the next 50 years. 

In addition, IFFR Plays Back ◀◀ invites festival visitors and former Tiger Award-winning filmmakers – including last year’s Tiger Award winner, Zheng Lu Xinyuan – to share tales of past IFFR editions and creative tributes to the festival in short film recordings. IFFR Plays Back ◀◀ films will be available to watch on IFFR.com.

The online February film programme – encompassing the Tiger Competition, Big Screen Competition, Ammodo Tiger Short Competition and Limelight lineup – will be accessible to audiences across the Netherlands, with Press and Industry screenings more extensively available and the IFFR Talks programme accessible worldwide for free. Films will premiere followed by filmmakers presentations and Q&As to promote live interaction and remain available on demand for 72 hours, with limited ticket capacity. During the February festival dates the IFFR Daily Talk, a live online talk show, will take place at 11:00 (CET) daily from 2 - 7 February, for updates on each day’s highlights, interviews with filmmakers and more. Ticket sales for the online edition of IFFR 2021 in February go live on 22 January 2021. Find practical information on how to purchase 50th edition tickets and attend the festival online on IFFR.com, with exact screen times and more to follow in the coming weeks. 

The extended 50th edition of IFFR will kick off online from 1 to 7 February 2021 on IFFR.com, and continue onwards in various formats into June.