08/01/2010

The first major European film festival of the year, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), will celebrate its 39th edition in the Dutch port city on the Meuse between January 27-February 7.

Known for uncovering new and innovative auteurs in their Tiger Competition for first and second works, the festival has this year lined up 15 titles that will vie for one of the three €15,000 Tiger Awards.

Besides several Asian and North and South American titles (including first-ever entries from Georgia and Costa Rica), there are four Competition contenders from Europe this year.

French director Sophie Letourneur will present her debut La Vie au Ranch [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (news), about a group of female students, while Estonian director Veiko Ounpuu compete with his second feature The Temptation of St Tony [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which also competes in Sundance.

Danish Directorial duo Michael Noer and Tobias Lindholm will premiere their prison feature R. in Rotterdam, while Dutch director Martijn Smits will present his C’est Déjà L’été (see news), set in French-language Belgium. Both are first features and world premieres

This year’s Tiger Competition jury consists of French actress Jeanne Balibar; Polish-Dutch filmmaker Urszula Antoniak, whose Nothing Personal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Urszula Antoniak
interview: Urszula Antoniak
film profile] is currently in Dutch theatres; former director of the Singapore Film Festival Philip Cheah; Mexican director and IFFR regular Amat Escalante; and Ugandan actor and activist Okello Kelo Sam.

Rotterdam’s famous co-production market, the Cinemart, will unspool this year between January 31-February 3. The European participants are:

– Another World, dir. Alexis Dos Santos, The Bureau (UK/Mexico)
– Baikonur, dir. Veit Helmer, Veit Helmer Productions (Germany/Kazakhstan)
– Brand New-U, dir. Simon Pummell, Hot Property Films/Illuminations Films/Submarine (UK/The Netherlands)
– Bulle de Soleil, dir. Bruno Deville, CAB Productions/La Parti Production (Switzerland/Belgium)
– Erased, dir. Patrice Toye, Prime Time/IdtV Film/Versus Production (Belgium/The Netherlands/France)
– Feed Me With Your Words, dir. Martin Turk, Bela Film (Slovenia)
– Fleurs du Mal, dir. David Dusa, SCIAPODE (France)
– Je Suis Mort Mais J’ai Des Amis dir. Guillaume & Stéphane Maladrin, La Parti Production (Belgium)
– Land, dir. Jan-Willem van Ewijk, Augustus Film/Propellor Film (The Netherlands)
– Layla Fourie, dir. Pia Marais, Pandora Filmproduktion/DV8 Films/IdtV Film (Germany/South Africa/The Netherlands)
– Leather, dir. Alexey Balabanov, CTB Film Company (Russia/Norway/Poland/Germany/Sweden)
– Malmi Murderaz, dir. Susanna Helke, For Real Productions Oy/Savage Film (Finland/Belgium)
– Miracle, dir. Juraj Lehotsky, Artileria/Negativ (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
– Mirage, dir. Szabolcs Hajdu, FilmPartnersKatapult Film (Hungary/Germany)
– My Sister Came By Today, dir. Yan Ting Yuen, SeriousFilm /Kasander Film (The Netherlands/Hong Kong)
– Ola’s Universe, dir. Coco Schrijber, Talent United (The Netherlands)
– The Resurrection of a Bastard, dir. Guido van Driel, IdtV Film (The Netherlands / Belgium)
– El Rumano, dir. Florin Serban, Strada Film (Romania)
– Shell, dir. Scott Graham, Brocken Spectre (UK)
– Wonder When You’ll Miss Me, dir. Francesco Fei, Acaba Produzione (Italy/ Switzerland/France/Germany/UK)