The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled the first titles selected for its 54th edition unfolding in early 2025.
They comprise 13 titles that will world premiere in the Bright Future strand, aimed at first films by emerging talents, as well as its Harbour line-up, campioning work pushing cinematic boundaries, and this year, digging into themes of self-discovery, societal norms and the human condition.
Bright Future titles include Mateo Ybarra’s doc Camp d’Éte, exploring the Swiss Scout Movement, and Oskar Weimar’s Invisible Flame about a modern-day witch hunt in Kenyan fishing village.
The Harbour selections include Un Gran Casino by Daniel Hoesl, a former Tiger Award Winner for micro-budget experimental feature Soldate Jeannette, Hubert Bals Fund awardee Pelin Esmer’s And The Rest Will Follow and avant-garde trailblazer Alexander Kluge with Primitive Diversity.
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Previous Bright Future breakouts include King Baby, 78 Days and Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust, which was acquired by Anonymous Content and New Europe Content after premiering in the festival.
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Harbour previously showcased film like include 8 Views of Lake Biwa, which was selected by Estonia as an Academy Awards contender; Amanda Kramer’s So Unreal; Hayat by Zeki Demirkubuz which went on to become Turkey’s Academy Award entry for Best International Feature Film.
“One of the biggest joys of curating IFFR is working with our team of programmers to create a line-up that showcases the breadth of cinematic experiences and a multitude of perspectives – and our first selection of titles demonstrates our commitment to this ambition,” said Vanja Kaludjercic, Festival Director at IFFR.
“Across Bright Future and Harbour, we already have some incredible emerging and established voices, and an amazing blend of genres and human stories, that we know our avid and curious audiences are going to love discovering.”
The festival will run from January 25 to February 4.
Details of the first 13 titles (all films are world premieres)
Bright Future
1 Girl Infinite
Director: Lilly Hu
U.S., Latvia, Singapore
Two teenage girls, Yin Jia and Tong Tong, live together in this colour-drenched vision of Changsha, China. When Tong Tong drifts away and falls in with a drug dealer, Yin Jia’s love for her means she’ll risk everything to keep Tong Tong by her side.
Camp d’Été
Director: Mateo Ybarra
Switzerland, France
In Switzerland, the Scout Movement is not a nostalgic fantasy but a vibrant social reality. This bubbly documentary captures the communal cycle of activities during a 14-day camp for youth. No reality TV-style contrived scenes here, this is a moving, joyful glimpse into life-changing experiences.
Later In The Clearing
Director: Márton Tarkövi
Hungary, Spain
In a small Hungarian town painter Péter Molnár leads filmmaker Márton Tarkövi on a journey through meadows, clearings and Molnár’s drawings. The viewer joins them, as they discuss art, time and life itself.
Nyamula (Invisible Flame)
Director: Oskar Weimar
Kenya
When fish begin to vanish, community members are quick to blame Dani, the elderly woman rumoured to be a witch. Daisy, a fisherman’s daughter, must decide whether to stand by her friend or heed the warnings of those around her.
Your Touch Makes Others Invisible
Director: Rajee Samarasinghe
Sri Lanka, U.S.
As many as 100,000 people, predominantly members of the minority Tamil community, are estimated to have disappeared during the 26-year-long Sri Lankan Civil War. Through a unique synthesis of interviews, news clips and re-enactments this docufiction feature reflects on this harrowing history as families search for loved ones that disappeared without a trace.
HARBOUR
And The Rest Will Follow
Director: Pelin Esmer
Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania
Dreamy housekeeper Aliye spends her days between hotel rooms, escaping into the lives of the guests. But after a brief encounter with a famous filmmaker, Aliye decides that she has a story to tell, which leads to an entanglement of lives and fictions.
Dead Dog
Director: Sarah Francis
Lebanon
Walid and Aida, husband and wife, are reunited after Walid’s many years spent living abroad. Answers to long-hidden secrets are sought in Sarah Francis’ dissection of an estranged marriage.
Finding Ramlee
Director: Megat Sharizal
Malaysia
An endearing retro dramedy set in swinging seventies Kuala Lumpur. Destitute and deep in debt, Zakaria is offered a lifeline by his loan shark: impersonate the Malaysian screen icon P. Ramlee in order to entertain his homebound, time-warped sister.
No Dejes A Los Niños Solos
Director: Emilio Portes
Mexico
A mother moves into a new house with her two children. One night she must leave the siblings home alone. What begins as a blast of carefree play soon turns into a claustrophobic horror story.
Primitive Diversity
Director: Alexander Kluge
Germany
Filmmaker Alexander Kluge loves to use the expression ‘primitive diversity’ in relation to the origins of his art: the first films that were made, their genres, motives and moods. With the development of AI, Kluge asks, what could its primitive diversity look like?
Thank You Satan
Director: Hicham Lasri
Morocco, France
In this dark comedy set in the early 1990s, all Serge wants to do is write his Fucking Best Seller! When his publisher nags him to shake things up and bring out his ‘mainstream potential’, he gives it all he has and, with a killer edge.
The Night Is Dark and Brighter Than The Day
Director: Christina Friedrich
Germany
Filmmaker Christina Friedrich asks 33 primary school children about their fears, taking us on a long night-journey through a magic world of their creation. What can the ‘real world’ learn from the games and rituals of children?
Un Gran Casino
Director: Daniel Hoesl
Austria
The largest casino in Europe but is it just a big mess? Daniel Hoesl presents Un gran casino as an angry musing on a building, an Italian village and all that is done in the name of the unfettered creation of wealth.