IFFR Filmclub x Buddy Film Foundation

Experience a unique evening filled with an inspiring program at the third edition of the IFFR Film Club in collaboration with Buddy Film Foundation on December 18 from 19.00 to 22.00!

During this third edition of the IFFR Filmclub, several short films will be screened in W70, a unique upcycle work environment in the heart of Rotterdam. A place where various functions, hand in hand, reinforce each other to give Weena color and character.

Hosted by Buddy Film Foundation, the evening will feature short films by Diana Al-Halabi, Felat Erkozan and Ahmed Hammadi. In addition, writer and poet Ishmail Kamara will be present to recite a few pieces from his repertoire.

Ishmael Kamara was born in Mambolo Chiefdom, Sierra Leone. In 2012, he came to the Netherlands as a refugee. He has discovered Rotterdam as his muse and source of inspiration, and he writes poetry in Dutch and English. In 2022, he will receive the Rotterdam Children’s Rights Prize. Ishmail previously wrote two books of poetry, “SMILE” (2018) and “Landscape of my Soul” (2021) and performs at Poetry International Festival 2022, among others.

Admission is free, but registration is required!

Film Programme

The Battle of Empty Stomachs, Diana Al-Halabi, 2024, Netherlands

The Battle of the Empty Stomachs is a poetic and musical tribute to the people who have suffered from the aftermath of famine and migration, and to the Palestinian hunger strikers whose resistance is louder than the deafening silence of the colonial world.Filmmaker Diana Al-Halabi won the RTM Pitch Prize at IFFR 2023, allowing her to realize this film.

The Spectres of Rotterdam, Felat Erkozan, 2024, Netherlands

A short documentary with archival material and contemporary footage about Rotterdam’s reconstruction after World War II.A polygonal newsreel voice speaks highly of Rotterdam’s perseverance.We see how the city was born out of big dreams, and how this change is still being carried on in the many new buildings appearing in the city.Memories are erased and residents become alienated from the environment they knew. In De schimmen van Rotterdam , director Felat Erkozan asks the question: does the true heart of Rotterdam still exist?

Dear Summer, Ahmed Hammadi, 2024, Netherlands

Dear Summer is broadcaster ZWART’s first fiction made by young people. In this short film, a group of young people try to hold their own in a power district. They often feel excluded in society. In the series, we step into their lives with themes of friendship, social disadvantage and love. The story builds up to a moment of choices that the growing