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29 Jan – 8 Feb 2026

RTM Pitch

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RTM Pitch is back! Thanks to a contribution from the municipality of Rotterdam, IFFR can once again invest in the city’s talent. This year, the RTM Pitch prize is expanding through a new collaboration with VEVAM, which will grant €5,000 directly to the winning filmmaker. We’re also continuing our collaboration with QISSA – together we will offer a  development award of €5,000 to a runner up selected by the jury together with QISSA.

Since its launch in 2020, RTM Pitch has awarded €20,000 each year, funded by the municipality of Rotterdam to support local film talent. The winning project from this new open call will have its world premiere during IFFR’s RTM Day in January 2027. 

We’re delighted to expand the RTM Pitch prize this year through our new collaboration with VEVAM, the Dutch Collective Management Organisation (CMO) for film and television directors.. VEVAM will contribute an extra €5,000 for the filmmaker of the winning RTM Pitch project. 

In addition to the RTM Pitch prize, we’re again joining forces with QISSA,  an agency dedicated to helping underrepresented voices and stories find their way. Through this collaboration, we can offer not only the RTM Pitch winner, but also another creator the right support, tools and opportunities to further develop themselves and shape their submitted idea into a film.

You can now apply for the seventh edition of RTM Pitch by submitting a plan for a short film of between 5 and 20 minutes. The submissions will be assessed by a jury consisting of film experts and IFFR programmers. Together, they will select:

  • About RTM

    The RTM Pitch is part of RTM, IFFR’s programme dedicated to Rotterdam. With RTM, films and filmmakers from the Maasstad take centre stage, both in the film selection as well as special events designed for the exchange of cinematic knowledge and experiences amongst local filmmakers. Expect new short-length and feature films, Rotterdam classics, events, talks, audiovisual art, video clips and installations. 

    This is the seventh edition of RTM Pitch. The five completed films made with the grant so far are: You Can’t Automate Me (2021), So Loud the Sky Can Hear Us (2022), Fantoomwijk (2023), The Battle of Empty Stomachs (2024) and Bubbling Baby (2025). The project presented by the sixth winner, Ashley Röttjers, is now in production and will premiere at IFFR 2026.

  • About QISSA

    QISSA is an agency, community and home for talents. It is committed to supporting the new generation of creators and their stories. By continuously seeking new opportunities to create meaningful connections, QISSA aims to make a significant difference within the heart of creative systems, where unique creators with extraordinary stories deserve to be (better) heard.

  • About VEVAM Fonds

    VEVAM is the Dutch Collective Management Organisation (CMO) for film and television directors. VEVAM is a foundation representing approximately 2800 affiliated Dutch directors. The affiliated directors transfer certain exploitation rights and rights to equitable remuneration to VEVAM when signing an Affiliation Contract. VEVAM also represents foreign directors, on the basis of unilateral or reciprocal representation agreements concluded with foreign copyright societies. VEVAM collects and distributes remunerations for the use of audiovisual works, in particular with respect to the following exploitations.

How to participate

Submit your film plan through the application form on this page, either in the form of a written director’s statement, or a three-minute video pitch. 

Please include a description of your story, where it takes place, your cinematic vision, and information about yourself and your team. You may add supporting images or previous work as an attachment. 

If you choose to send a video, paste the link (Vimeo or YouTube) in the field at the bottom of the form.

A jury of film experts and programmers from IFFR’s Short & Mid-length film programme will evaluate the entries. We’ll then be in touch with our winner who will receive advice and coaching from an experienced producer during the development and production of the film project.

Deadline: Monday 1 December 2025

  • Selection criteria

    • You are a filmmaker of at least 18 years old (early-career or established)
    • You live and work in the Rotterdam region
    • The city of Rotterdam plays a leading role in the setting of your film, regardless of the district
    • You are able to put together your own team and work with your own producer, who will be responsible for the film’s budget
    • Your film addresses a current or social theme that fits well within IFFR’s DNA 
    • Your film plan is original and innovative in both form and content

  • Additional information

    • Depending on the needs of the selected project, coaching will be offered for a maximum of ten half-days, up until the film’s premiere
    • The film doesn’t need to be in Dutch or English, the use of subtitles is permitted
    • If you live in the Rotterdam region, but do not speak Dutch, feel free to submit your plan in English
    • The prize is intended for one film only 
    • Projects with budgets below the indicated €25,000 will not be taken into account
    • You can source extra funding for the film yourself 
    • If you want your film to be considered for other IFFR programmes besides RTM, your film should be submitted before the general festival submissions deadline at the end of September 2026. General terms and conditions for festival submissions apply

If you any questions, please reach to rtm@IFFR.com.

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