The IFFR Pro awards ceremony, which took place yesterday, marked the end of the 39^th edition of International Film Festival Rotterdam’s CineMart co-production market, which, for the second consecutive year, was entirely digital. Marit van den Elshout, head of IFFR Pro, underlined: “Organising this edition of IFFR Pro Days was in many ways more of a challenge than the year before, given that our plans for a physical edition had to be very quickly adapted. The scale of the challenge allowed us to target our focus with a powerful, streamlined programme. Our five IFFR Pro Dialogue sessions looked beyond the ‘new normal’ of the pandemic to dream of what the ‘new possible’ could be, so it seems fitting that our IFFR Pro Award winners represent such exciting emerging talent. Helping outstanding cinema come to fruition is, when all is said and done, the most valuable service we can offer.”

The winner of this year’s Eurimages Co-production Development Award, worth €20,000, was Greek filmmaker Judita Gamulin, with her debut feature-length project, Leave the Door Open, produced by Eclectica. The jury, comprising film director Babak Jalali, producer Jelena Mitrović and Elena Kotová, a representative of Eurimages in the Czech Republic, stated: “The award goes to a film that looks at the everyday interactions and lives of contemporary European families, set within the confines of a well-known superstore. We came to a unanimous decision based on our connection to this very unusual and fresh story, and our belief that it will be told impressively in the hands of this young filmmaker.”

Furthermore, the Swedish project Love #NoFilter by Mikael Bundsen, produced by Kjellson & Wik, received a Special Mention, for “reflecting with humour on Millennials and the complications in their lives, as they try to find a balance that seems far more problematic than it did for previous generations”.

The Filmmore Post-production Award, which offers visual effects and post-production valued at €7,500, went to Nightsong by Maya Da-Rin, produced by the director and Sabrina Garcia for Tamanduá Vermelho, and by Juliette Lepoutre (Still Moving). It is “an urgent, universal message, conveyed in a strong visual and aural way, and also a dreamy one. It tackles issues such as biodiversity, nature, women of different generations, changing land, changing culture and the past,” stated the jury, comprising Annamaria Lodato, Julie Savary, Boelie Vis and Erik Glijnis.

The ArteKino International Award, valued at €6,000, went to the project Sorella di Clausura by Ivana Mladenovic, which is being produced by microFILM and Dunav 84. The jury remarked: “We decided to give our award to a young and talented filmmaker who is working on a very original project dealing with an unusual friendship between two strong female characters. As in her previous work, she will play with the relationship between reality and fiction, blurring their lines. We appreciate her ability to experiment, and we expect a truly unconventional film.”

The Wouter Barendrecht Award of €5,000, for the best project from an emerging filmmaker under the age of 35 and with no more than three features under their belt, went to Mother of Gold by Madiano Marcheti, produced by Terceira Margem and Multiverso Produções. “The project is a reflection on political and ecological crises, narrated through [Brazil’s] myths and combined with an original personal interpretation,” according to the jury.

Here is the full list of award winners at the 2022 edition of IFFR Pro:

Eurimages Co-production Development Award
Leave the Door Open - Judita Gamulin (Croatia)
Production company: Eclectica

Special Mention
Love #NoFilter - Mikael Bundsen (Sweden)
Production company: Kjellson & Wik

Filmmore Post-production Award
Nightsong - Maya Da-Rin (Brazil/France)
Producers: Maya Da-Rin, Sabrina Garcia (Tamanduá Vermelho), Juliette Lepoutre (Still Moving)

ArteKino International Award
Sorella di Clausura - Ivana Mladenovic (Romania/Serbia)
Production companies: microFILM, Dunav 84

Wouter Barendrecht Award
Mother of Gold - Madiano Marcheti (Brazil)
Production companies: Terceira Margem, Multiverso Produções

4DR Studios Award

First Prize
Confident - Jérôme Blanquet, Bertrand Jeandel (France)
Production companies: Maneki Films, Wise Bird

Second Prize
Duchampiana VR - Lilian Hess (France/Germany)
Production company: Tchikiboum

IFFR Young Selectors Award
Love on Trial - Koji Fukada (Japan/France)
Production companies: knockonwood Inc, Survivance

Dutch Post-production Award
This City Is a Battlefield - Mouly Surya (Indonesia)
Production company: Cinesurya