Rotterdam unveil inaugural Big Screen Award Competition lineup

New films from Michael Noer and David Verbeek are among the titles in contention for the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s (IFFR) inaugural The Big Screen Award Competition.

Noer’s Northwest and Verbeek’s How To Describe A Cloud will receive their world premieres as part of the competition, as will the debut features from Alexandra Gulea (Matei Child Miner) and Frédérick Pelletier (Diego Star). A total of ten films will be in screened in the competition, which aims to support the distribution of films in Dutch cinemas and includes recent films with no Benelux distributor confirmed.

The Big Screen Award will be juried by five experienced and passionate audience members, while the Dutch Circle of Film Critics (KNF) Jury will also choose their winner among these ten films. Both prizes comes with a guaranteed distribution offer for the Benelux, in collaboration with local distributor Amstelfilm. The KNF Award also includes a subtitled DCP, sponsored by digital film lab NCP Holland.

Winners of the prizes will be announced during IFFR’s Awards Night on Feb 1.

Full lineup is as follows:

• Mater Dolorosa, Adolfo B. Alix Jr., Philippines, 2012, 86’, international premiere, Spectrum
• Matei Child Miner, Alexandra Gulea, Romania/Germany/France, 2013, 80’, World premiere, Bright Future
• Pretty Butterflies, Salvatore Mereu, Italy, 2012, 102’, international premiere, Spectrum
• Odayaka, Uchida Nobuteru, Japan/USA, 2012, 100‘, European premiere, Spectrum
• Soegija, Garin Nugroho, Indonesia, 2012, 120’, European premiere. Spectrum
• Northwest, Michael Noer, Denmark, 2013, 96’, World premiere, Bright Future
• Diego Star, Frédérick Pelletier, Canada/Belgium, 2013, 91’, World premiere, Bright Future
• The Future, Alicia Scherson, Chile/Germany/Italy/Spain, 2013, 94’, European premiere, Spectrum
• Drug War, Johnnie To, Hong Kong, 2012, 107’, Spectrum
• How To Describe A Cloud, David Verbeek, Netherlands, 2013, 80’, World premiere, Spectrum