| 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam | |
| Opening: | Riders of Justice by Anders Thomas Jensen (February) The World to Come by Mona Fastvold (June) |
| Closing: | Poupelle of Chimney Town by Hirota Yusuke (June) |
| Location: | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Founded: | 1972 |
| Awards: | Pebbles (Tiger Award) |
| Date: | 1–7 February 2021 2–6 June 2021 |
| Chronology: | IFFR |
| Previous: | 2020 |
| Next: | 2022 |
The 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam, was the 2021 installment of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which took place on 1–7 February 2021 and 2–6 June 2021. The first part of the edition focused on the main Tiger, Big Screen, Ammodo Tiger Short, and Limelight programmes.[1] Whilst, the second part focused on the Harbour, Bright Future, Cinema Regained, Classics and Short and Mid-Length Film sections.[2]
The event was presented as a hybrid event, with a film programme was available online in the Netherlands whilst physically screened in cinemas across the country.[3]
Indian drama film, Pebbles by Vinothraj P.S., won Tiger Award, the top prize.[4]
The following films were selected to compete for the Tiger Award. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020.[5]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bebia, à mon seul désir | Juja Dobrachkous | Georgia, United Kingdom | ||
| Bipolar | 只是一次偶然的旅行 | Queena Li | China | |
| Black Medusa | Ma tasmaa ken errih | Ismaël, Youssef Chebbi | Tunisia | |
| A Corsican Summer | I Comete | Pascal Tagnati | France | |
| The Edge of Daybreak | Phayasohk phiyohkyam | Taiki Sakpisit | Thailand | |
| Feast | Tim Leyendekker | Netherlands | ||
| Friends and Strangers | James Vaughan | Australia | ||
| Gritt | Itonje Søimer Guttormsen | Norway | ||
| Landscapes of Resistance | Pejzaži otpora | Marta Popivoda | Serbia, Germany, France | |
| Liborio | Nino Martínez Sosa | Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Qatar | ||
| Looking for Venera | Në kërkim të Venerës | Norika Sefa | Kosovo, North Macedonia | |
| Madalena | Madiano Marcheti | Brazil | ||
| Mayday | Karen Cinnore | United States | ||
| Mighty Flash | Destello bravío | Ainhoa Rodríguez | Spain | |
| Moss Agate | Agate mousse | Selim Mourad | Lebanon | |
| Pebbles | Koozhangal | Vinothraj P.S. | India | |
The following films were selected to compete for the VPRO Big Screen Award. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020.[6]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archipelago | Archipel | Félix Dufour-Laperrière | Canada | |
| Aristocrats | Anoko wa kizoku | Sode Yukiko | Japan | |
| As We Like It | Jie da huan xi | Chen Hung-i, Muni Wei | Taiwan | |
| Aurora | Paz Fábrega | Costa Rica | ||
| The Cemil Show | Cemil şov | Bariş Sarhan | Turkey | |
| The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet | El perro que no calla | Ana Katz | Argentina | |
| Drifting | Zuk seoi piu lau | Jun Li | Hong Kong | |
| King Car | Carro Rei | Renata Pinheiro | Brazil | |
| The Last Farmer | Kadaisi vivasayi | M. Manikandan | India | |
| Lone Wolf | Jonathan Ogilvie | Australia | ||
| The North Wind | Severnyy veter | Renata Litvinova | Russia | |
| Sexual Drive | セクシャルドライブ | Kōta Yoshida | Japan | |
| The Witches of the Orient | Les Sorcières de l'Orient | Julien Faraut | France | |
| The Year Before the War | Gads pirms kara | Dāvis Sīmanis | Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic | |
The following films were selected to compete for the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020.[7]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80000 Years Old | 80000 ans | Christelle Lheureux | France | |
| earthearthearth | Daïchi Saïto | Canada | ||
| Eating Soil | Erde essen | Laura Weissenberger | Austria | |
| Er is een geest van mij | Mateo Vega | Netherlands, Peru | ||
| The Eternal Springtime | Mùa xuân vĩnh cửu | Việt Vũ | Vietnam | |
| Flowers blooming in our throats | Eva Giolo | Italy | ||
| For the Sake of Calmness | Newsha Tavakolian | Iran | ||
| Happy Valley | Simon Liu | Hong Kong, United States | ||
| The Hole's Journey | Ghita Skali | Netherlands | ||
| Lemongrass Girl | Pom Bunsermvicha | Thailand | ||
| Letter From Your Far-Off Country | Suneil Sanzgiri | United States | ||
| Luces del desierto | Félix Blume | France, Mexico | ||
| Maat Means Land | Fox Maxy | United States | ||
| Manifesto | Ane Hjort Guttu | Norway | ||
| Plant (879 pages, 33 days) | Ruth Höflich | Australia | ||
| Sunsets, everyday | Basir Mahmood | Italy | ||
| Surviving You, Always | Morgan Quaintance | United Kingdom | ||
| Tellurian Drama | Riar Rizaldi | Indonesia | ||
| Terranova | Alejandro Pérez Serrano, Alejandro Alonso Estrella | Cuba | ||
| Tracing Utopia | Catarina de Sousa, Nick Tyson | Portugal, United States | ||
| Who Is Afraid of Ideology? Part 3 Micro Resistances | Marwa Arsanios | Germany | ||
| The Women's Revenge | Su Hui-yu | Taiwan | ||
The programme highlighted the expansion of cinema to installations, exhibitions and live performance.[8]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hangman at Home | Michelle Kranot, Uri Kranot | Denmark, France, Canada | |
| Image Technology Echoes | Lauren Moffatt | Ireland, Germany | |
| The Subterranean Imprint Archive | Francois Knoetze, Amy Louise Wilson | South Africa | |
| To Miss the Ending | David Callanan, Anna West | United Kingdom | |
The programme highlighted first-feature films from promising filmmakers.[9]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All About My Sisters | Jia ting lu xiang | Wang Qiong | United States | |
| BERG | Joke Olthaar | Netherlands | ||
| Damascus Dreams | Émilie Serri | Canada | ||
| The Day Is Over | Chi tang | Qi Rui | China | |
| Faya Dayi | Jessica Bashir | Ethiopia, United States, Qatar | ||
| The Joy of Things | A felicidade das coisas | Thais Fujinaga | Brazil | |
| Lumina | Samuele Sestieri | Italy | ||
| OK Computer | Pooja Shetty, Neil Pagedar | India | ||
| Phoenix | Bram Droulers | Belgium, United Kingdom | ||
| Rock Bottom Riser | Fern Silva | United States | ||
| The Son | Pesar | Noushin Meraji | Iran | |
| The Story of Southern Islet | Nan wu | Chong Keat Aun | Malaysia | |
| Thomas the High Jumper | Thomas der Hochspringer | Leri Matehha | Germany | |
| Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror | Kier-La Janisse | United States | ||
The programme offered restored classic films, documentaries on film culture and explorations of cinema's heritage.[10]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Year | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8 | Shunji Iwai | 2020 | Japan | ||
| The Tenth of May | Der 10. Mai | Franz Schnyder | 1957 | Switzerland | |
| All Other Things Equal | Anya Tsyrlina | 2020 | Russia | ||
| Amos Gitaï, la violence et l'histoire | Laurent Roth | 2021 | France | ||
| The Amusement Park | George A. Romero | 1975 | United States | ||
| Ayako Tachibana Wants to Go Viral | Tachibana Ayako wa miraretai | Sato Amane | 2020 | Japan | |
| Black Cat | Tanaami Keiichi | 1972 | Japan | ||
| The Calm After the Storm | Como el cielo después de llover | Mercedes Gaviria | 2020 | Colombia, Argentina | |
| Camila | María Luisa Bemberg | 1984 | Argentina, Spain | ||
| Careless Crime | Jenayat-e bi deghat | Shahram Mokri | 2020 | Iran | |
| Charisma | Amos Gitai | 1976 | Israel | ||
| Chess of the Wind | Shatranj-e baad | Mohammad Reza Aslani | 1976 | Iran | |
| Cinephilia Now: Part 1 – Secrets Within Walls | Eiga ai no genzai: Part 1 – Kabe no mukode | Sasaki Yusuke | 2020 | Japan | |
| The Crown Jewels of Iran | Ganǧīneh-hāye Gouhar | Ebrahim Golestan | 1965 | Iran | |
| The Deer | Gavaznhā | Masoud Kimiai | 1974 | Iran | |
| The Demon | Il demonio | Brunello Rondi | 1963 | Italy, France | |
| The Dinosaur | Dinosaurus | Veikko Aaltonen | 2021 | Finland | |
| The Earth Is a Sinful Song | Maa on syntinen laulu | Rauni Mollberg | 1973 | Finland | |
| Everything Is Cinema | Don Palathara | 2021 | India | ||
| Fat Chance | Stephen Broomer | 2021 | Canada | ||
| Hands Up Mr. Rasnichi | Hal Clay, Florenz Fuchs von Nordhoff | 1967 | West Germany | ||
| Hopper/Welles | Orson Welles | 2020 | United States | ||
| The Living Heroes | Gyvieji didvyriai | Arūnas Žebriūnas, Balys Bratkauskas, Vytautas Žalakevičius, Marijonas Giedrys | 1959 | Lithuania | |
| María Luisa Bemberg: El eco de mi voz | María Luisa Bemberg: The Echo of My Voice | Alejandro Maci | 2021 | Argentina | |
| Mat Magic | Mat Sentol, John Calvert | 1971 | Singapore | ||
| MÍR: Hundred Years of Revolution | MÍR: Byltingin lengi lifi | Haukur Hallsson | 2020 | Iceland, Czech Republic | |
| Modern Korea – Doing Our Best the People's Network | Modern Korea – Jeongseongeul da haneun gungminui bangsong | Ji-sun Youm | 2020 | South Korea | |
| Neck 'n' Neck | Walt Disney | 1928 | United States | ||
| Nomads of the Sun | Les nomades du soleil | Henry Brandt | 1953 | Switzerland | |
| The Philosophy of Horror – A Symphony of Film Theory | A horror filozófiája | Péter Lichter, Bori Máté | 2020 | Hungary | |
| Les rendez-vous de l'été | Jacques Ertaud, Raymond Zumstein | 1966 | France | ||
| Sea Palace | Umi no kyūden | Masaoka Kenzō | 1927 | Japan | |
| Switzerland Ponders | La Suisse s'interroge | Henry Brandt | 1964 | Switzerland | |
| Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo | Tange Sazen yowa: Hyakuman ryō no tsubo | Sadao Yamanaka | 1935 | Japan | |
| There Are Not Thirty-Six Ways of Showing a Man Getting on a Horse | No existen treinta y seis maneras de mostrar cómo un hombre se sube a un caballo | Nicolás Zukerfeld | 2020 | Argentina | |
| The Village Detective: a Song Cycle | Bill Morrison | 2021 | United States | ||
| Vincent van Go-Go | Hal Clay, Florenz Fuchs von Nordhoff | 1967 | West Germany | ||
The programme showcased contemporary cinema.[11]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus | Slučajna raskoš prozirnog vodenog rebusa | Dalibor Barić | Croatia | |
| Amor fati | Cláudia Varejão | Portugal, Switzerland, France | ||
| The Belly of the Sea | El ventre del mar | Agustí Villaronga | Spain | |
| Birds of America | Jacques Loeuille | France | ||
| The Blue Danube | Kimajimegakutai no Bonyarisenso | Ikeda Akira | Japan | |
| Bloodsuckers | Blutsauger | Julian Radlmaier | Germany | |
| Bottled Songs 1-4 | Chloé Galibert-Laîné, Kevin B. Lee | Germany, France, United States | ||
| Capitu and the Chapter | Capitu e o capítulo | Júlio Bressane | Brazil | |
| Davos | Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann | Austria | ||
| The Day Today | Au jour d'aujourd'hui | Maxence Stamatiadis | France | |
| Death on the Streets | Johan Carlsen | Germany, Denmark, Greece | ||
| Decameron | Rita Hui Nga Shu | Hong Kong | ||
| Fabian – Going to the Dogs | Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde | Dominik Graf | Germany | |
| Fan Girl | Antoinette Jadaone | Philippines | ||
| Faraway My Shadow Wandered | Liao Jiekai, Sudhee Liao | Singapore, Taiwan, Japan | ||
| Fucking with Nobody | Hannaleena Hauru | Finland | ||
| Glossary of Non-Human Love | Na manush premer kothamala | Ashish Avikunthak | India | |
| Homeless | Hom-li-seu | Lim Seung-hyeun | South Korea | |
| Hotel on the Koppies | Hotele Lerallaneng | Charlie Vundla | South Africa | |
| Lutar, lutar, lutar | Sérgio Borges, Helvécio Marins Jr. | Brazil | ||
| A Man and a Camera | Guido Hendrikx | Netherlands | ||
| Minamata Mandala | Hara Kazuo | Japan | ||
| My Name Is Francesco Totti | Mi chiamo Francesco Totti | Alex Infascelli | Italy | |
| Nudo Mixteco | Ángeles Cruz | Mexico | ||
| Only the Winds | Karim Kassem | Lebanon, United States | ||
| Persona Non Grata | Hvor kragerne vender | Lisa Jespersen | Denmark | |
| Celeste Bell, Paul Sng | United Kingdom, India, United States | |||
| Poupelle of Chimney Town | Entotsu Machi no Poupelle | Hirota Yusuke | Japan | |
| The Rain Falls Where It Will | Abr baranash gerefteh | Majid Barzegar | Iran, Canada | |
| Scarecrow | Pugalo | Dmitry Davydov | Russia | |
| Self-Portrait 2020 | Lee Dong-wook | South Korea | ||
| A Song for You | Ta yu luo ye dai er | Dukar Tserang | China | |
| Time | Ricky Ko | Hong Kong | ||
| An Unusual Summer | Kamal Aljafari | Palestine | ||
| The World to Come | Mona Fastvold | United States | ||
The programme showcased cinematic highlights of film festival favourites and international award-winners.[12]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginning | Dasatskisi | Dea Kulumbegashvili | France, Georgia | |
| Dead & Beautiful | David Verbeek | Netherlands, Taiwan | ||
| Dear Comrades! | Dorogie tovarischi! | Andrei Konchalovsky | Russia | |
| First Cow | Kelly Reichardt | United States | ||
| Mandibles | Mandibules | Quentin Dupieux | France | |
| Mitra | Kaweh Modiri | Netherlands, Germany, Denmark | ||
| Night of the Kings | La nuit des rois | Philippe Lacôte | France, Côte d'Ivoire, Canada | |
| Quo Vadis, Aida? | Jasmila Žbanić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Riders of Justice | Retfærdighedens ryttere | Anders Thomas Jensen | Denmark | |
| Shorta | Anders Ølholm, Frederik Louis Hviid | Denmark | ||
| Suzanna Andler | Benoît Jacquot | France | ||
| Sweat | Magnus von Horn | Poland | ||
The programmes highlighted mid-length films and short films.[13]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 Cigarettes from Now | Tianyu Ma | China, United States | ||
| Aasivissuit | Jasper Coppes | Netherlands, Greenland | ||
| Art Blasé | Erik van Lieshout | Netherlands | ||
| Bare Bones | Meryem Lahlou | United States | ||
| Bela | Prantik Basu | India | ||
| The Blind Rabbit | Pallavi Paul | India | ||
| Easter Eggs | Nicolas Keppens | Belgium, France, Netherlands | ||
| Her and I | Ella i jo | Jaume Claret Muxart | Spain | |
| Home Sweet Home | Franck Moka | Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
| Improvised Objects | Katja Verheul | Netherlands | ||
| In the Air Tonight | Andrew Norman Wilson | United States | ||
| In the Footsteps of Li Yuan-chia & Delia Derbyshire | Madelon Hooykaas | Netherlands, United Kingdom | ||
| Jesus Egon Christ | Jesus Egon Christus | David Vajda, Saša Vajda | Germany | |
| Kaimos | Sarra Tsorakidis | Romania | ||
| The Last One | Sonuncu | Fariz Ahmedov | Azerbaijan | |
| Lata | Alisha Tejpal | India | ||
| Meet Doug | Le Boug Doug | Théo Jollet | France | |
| Message from Mukalap | Judith Westerveld | Netherlands, South Africa | ||
| More Happiness | Livia Huang | United States | ||
| No One Cried | Daniel Jacoby | Netherlands, Germany | ||
| The Old Child | Felipe Esparza Pérez | France | ||
| One Image, Two Acts | Yek tasveer, do bardasht | Sanaz Sohrabi | Canada, Germany, United States, Iran | |
| P-9830 | Michiel van Bakel | Netherlands | ||
| Palma | Alexe Poukine | France, Belgium | ||
| PINPIN | Jaime Levinas | Argentina, United States | ||
| Riff-Raff | Rafameia | Mariah Teixeira, Nanda Félix | Brazil | |
| El rodeo | Carlos Melián Moreno | Cuba | ||
| Scylos | Maaike Anne Stevens | Netherlands, United Kingdom | ||
| Seeking Aline | À la recherche d'Aline | Rokhaya Marieme Balde | Switzerland | |
| Silence | Amirali Navaee | Iran | ||
| The Trees | Ramzi Bashour | Lebanon | ||
| Tripsitter | Frederique Pisuisse | Netherlands | ||
| Underground Cemetery | Wisarut Sriputsomboon | Thailand | ||
| UNEARTH – In Between States of Matter | Anika Schwarzlose, Brian D. McKenna | Russia, Netherlands, Germany | ||
| Unrendered Road | Tali Liberman | Israel, Palestine, Netherlands | ||
| Veronica | Talita Caselato | Brazil | ||
| World | Ashkhar | Christine Haroutounian | Armenia, United States | |
Pebbles by Vinothraj P.S.