The Last Ride of the Wolves c IFFR

Source: IFFR

‘The Last Ride Of The Wolves’

The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has revealed the first titles for its 2022 edition, which is planned as a full capacity physical event with international guests from January 26 to February 6, 2022. 

Fabrizio Ferraro’s 1944-set Apennines drama I Morti Rimangono Con La Bocca Aperta will have its world premiere in the Harbour section. The director’s previous films Les Unwanted de Europa (2017) and Checkpoint Berlin (2020) were also shown at IFFR.

World premieres in the Bright Future strand include Spanish director Julián Génisson’s Immotep and two feature debuts – Italian-born, Dutch-based Alberto De Michele’s The Last Ride Of The Wolves, and Australian director David Easteal’s The Plains, a fixed-camera film set during daily car commutes in suburban Melbourne.

Today’s announcement is intended to give “a flavour” of the 2022 programme prior to the full line-up announcement that will include the films screening in the Tiger Competition and the Big Screen competition, on December 20.

Vanja Kaludjercic

Source: Vera Cornel

Vanja Kaludjercic

“This is showing a little bit of the range of what each of these sections can offer but it is just a first taste,” said festival director Vanja Kaludjercic.

The revamped IFFR structure was announced last year before Covid restrictions forced the 50th edition to take place online. This year, Kaludjercic added, will be “IFFR in its full splendour.”

Notable guests expected in Rotterdam next year include former Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul for Memoria, which was supported by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund, and Gaspar Noé with Vortex

Both titles are in the Limelight section, which also features Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes hit Drive My Car, Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava, Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World, Gabriele Mainetti’s Freaks Out and Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening.

IFFR Pro Days, the industry-facing side of the festival which incorporates CineMart, Rotterdam Lab and the Pro Hub, will take place from January 30 to February 2, 2022. 

“This edition is very much about re-uniting audiences with filmmakers and also [the festival] with the industry,” said Kaludjercic.

IFFR 2022 first titles

Limelight

Ali & Ava (UK) 
Dir: Clio Barnard 

Drive My Car (Jap)
Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi 

Happening (Fr) 
Dir: Audrey Diwan

Freaks Out (Italy-Bel) 
Dir: Gabriele Mainetti

Love After Love (Chi) 
Dir: Ann Hui 

Memoria (Col-Thai-UK
Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Vortex (Fr) 
Dir: Gaspar Noé

The Worst Person in the World (Nor)
Dir: Joachim Trier

Harbour

The Alleys (Jor-Qatar-Egy)
Dir: Bassel Ghandour

Barbarian Invasion (Malay-HK)
Dir: Tan Chui Mui,

The Execution (Russ) 
Dir: Lado Kvataniya

Il Buco (Italy-Ger-Fr) 
Dir: Michelangelo Frammartino

Kinorama – Beyond the Walls of the Real (Port) 
Dir: Edgar Pêra

Medea. (Russ) 
Dir: Alexander Zeldovic

Medusa (Braz) 
Dir: Anita Rocha da Silveira

I Morti Rimangono Con La Bocca Aperta (It-Sp) World premiere
Dir: Fabrizio Ferraro 

On the Job: The Missing 8 (Phil) 
Dir: Erik Matti

Quién lo impide (Sp)
Dir: Jonás Trueba

Tralala (Fr) 
Dirs: Jean-Marie Larrieu, Arnaud Larrieu 

Bright Future

As in Heaven (Den) 
Dir: Tea Lindeburg

Brotherhood (Czech Rep-Italy) 
Dir: Francesco Montagner 

Eles Transportan A Morte (Sp) 
DirsL Helena Girón, Samuel M. Delgado 

Inmotep (Sp) World premiere
Dir: Julián Génisson 

The Last Ride of the Wolves (Neth-It) World premiere
Dir: Alberto De Michele 

The Plains (Aus) World premiere 
Dir: David Easteal

Zalava (Iran)
Dir: Arsalan Amiri