The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) kicked off last night with the world premiere of Dutch crime comedy Fabula and a passionate call from artistic director Vanja Kaludjercic for cinema to tell stories that challenge, inspire and illuminate.
Speaking to around 800 guests at Rotterdam’s Oude Luxor Theater, Kaludjercic welcomed Michiel ten Horn’s Fabula as the first Dutch film to open the festival since 2018.
Many of the film’s cast and crew – including stars Fedja van Huet and Sezgin Guleç as well as producers Sander Verdonk and Thomas den Drijver - were in attendance and were loudly applauded by the crowd.
Describing Fabula as “not exactly a typical Dutch movie”, Kaludjercic called it a “fabulous mix of classical crime movie with unorthodox comedy, a hefty dose of magical realism and perplexing elements of cultural anthropology.”
The film tells the story of low-level criminal, born into a family haunted by disaster, who is determined to find out what caused it.
Power of cinema
In her opening address, Kaludjercic talked up the storytelling power of cinema and its ability to connect in an era of resurgent nationalism – and also took aim at US president Donald Trump.
She cited Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on his first day in office. “His reasoning was purely transactional. He believed that the US wasn’t getting enough for its money. But organisations like the WHO and the UN are not transactional by design. They are about creating the possibility of a decent life for all.”
She said that these were ideals shared by IFFR. “We remain steadfast in our belief in democracy and the common good, a vision shaped not by individual gain but by shared works and dreams. This idea resonates through every film we showcase, every story we amplify, and every artist we bring together.”
Kaludjercic said the festival sought to give “visibility to those who are unseen, to connect artists who might have never crossed paths, and to offer audiences a chance to discover stories and perspectives that they might otherwise never have encountered.”
“Cinema does not claim to save lives, but it does shape how we see them, how we understand their world, and how we imagine it could become.”
Joining Kaludjercic on stage earlier, Rotterdam managing director Clare Stewart flagged the role of the festival’s Hubert Bals Fund which recently teamed with UNHCR goodwill ambassador Cate Blanchett to launch the Displacement Film Fund, a new short film grant scheme which is offering €500,000 to five fund the work of displaced filmmakers.
Elsewhere, Kaludjercic talked up Rotterdam’s role in championing innovative cinema. “The world today, as we all see, it’s calling for change, loudly and urgently. But a change toward what? This is a question that cinema, among many other entities, must keep asking. So let us stay vigilant, ensuring the stories we tell are the ones that challenge, inspire and illuminate the path forward.”
“Cinema matters not for the answers it gives, but for the ways it opens up new possibilities and ways of seeing.”
Kaludjercic also called for the audience to support a petition to save the city’s Cinerama theatre. One of IFFR’s venues, Cinerama’s lease expires at the end of 2025. “Cinerama is not only a cinema, but also a communal space for the citizens of Rotterdam. It has become a space that needs and deserves to be protected and preserved,” said Kaludjercic to loud applause from the audience.
IFFR runs until February 9.
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