Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk’s Pamfir and Andrew Legge’s LOLA have been added to the Harbour strand for the 52nd edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR, January 25 – February 5 2023).
Ukrainian drama Pamfir was supported by the festival’s Hubert Bals Fund in 2020 and recently nominated for a European Film Academy award in European discovery.
LOLA is the feature debut from Irish director Legge and is set during the Second World War. It premiered at Locarno in August and was recently acquired by Signature Entertainment for the UK and Ireland.
Don Palathara’s Family will also screen in the Harbour strand as a world premiere. The Indian drama explores the complexities of a small Catholic village and a seemingly good man with a dark interior. It is produced by Newton Cinema.
The other new Harbour titles are Satoshi Miki’s Convenience Store from Japan and Jude Chun’s Unidentified from South Korea which will both have their European premieres at IFFR.
Previously announced titles for the Harbour strand include Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean and the world premiere of John Swab’s Little Dixie.
Regaining cinema
The Cinema Regained strand, which honours living film history past and present, includes the world premiere of Monica In The South Seas from Mika Taanila and Finnish filmmaker Sami van Ingen. Van Ingen is the great-grandson of US filmmaker Robert Flaherty and the documentary follows him attempting to continue his great-grandfather’s legacy through the discovery of old tapes and reels.
Also screening is the world premiere of Fırat Özeler’s Kavur, a biographical film essay on the late Turkish filmmaker Ömer Kavur. While making the film, Özeler discovered an unreleased short film from 1971 by the director entitled The Porter which will also screen at the festival as a world premiere.
Local talent
For the first time, the RTM strand focusing on local films and filmmakers has been curated by three local creatives: actor and filmmaker Cheryl Ashruf, designer and digital landscaper Noémi Biro, and actor and creative producer Nizar El Manouzi.
The line-up features the world premiere of Gyz La Riviére’s feature documentary Malin TV which explores the links between Rotterdam and China.
Ravi Sandberg’s short interdisciplinary documentary Fantoomwijk is also world premiering in RTM. Sandberg was the winner of the RTM pitch earlier this year which included a €20,000 prize. The film dissects his former neighbourhood Tweebosbuurt in Rotterdam.
“It’s rewarding and moving to see the different parts of this year’s programme taking shape in line with our ongoing mission,” said festival director Vanja Kaludjercic. ”The Cinema Regained programme promises to be a bold and adventurous exploration of the actuality of film history from all over the world.
”On the local front, for the first time this year we have invited three Rotterdam creatives to curate our RTM programme. Through their fresh perspectives and respective networks we continue to foster and enhance local connections, while celebrating all the uniqueness this amazing city has to offer.”
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