Talks lineup and special guests revealed for 2026

IFFR 2026 will again present two distinct strands of conversations: Big Talks, featuring dialogues between world-renowned minds from diverse disciplines and Tiger Talks, offering explorations of film-related themes and addressing issues including feminism, the legacy of colonialism, and cinema’s sociopolitical role.

Also during the festival, IFFR will welcome further special guests to present their titles in selection, including Tilda Swinton and Cynthia Beatt (Heart of Light – eleven songs for Fiji), Annemarie Jacir (Palestine 36), Olivier Assayas (The Wizard of the Kremlin), Mario Martone (Fuori), Kleber Mendonça Filho (The Secret Agent), Ildikó Enyedi (Silent Friend), Sergei Loznitsa (Two Prosecutors), Kent Jones (Late Fame), Pom Klementieff and Guillaume Nicloux (Mi amor), and Mascha Schilinski (Sound of Falling). 

Further guests include Malek Bensmail and Nabil Asli (The Arab), Pascal Bonitzer (Hugo), Alauda Ruíz de Azua (Sundays), David Verbeek and Jessica Reynolds (The Wolf, the Fox, the Leopard), Nanouk Leopold (Whitetail), Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Gigi Saul Guerrero and Eugenio Rubio (Talking to a Stranger), Riccardo Milani (Life is Life), Andrea di Stefano (My Tennis Maestro) and Christoffer Boe (Special Unit – The First Murder). 

In addition, the IFFR Pro Dialogues programme of industry-focused discussions will be held during the IFFR Pro Days, running between 30 January – 4 February. 

Vanja Kaludjercic, Festival Director at IFFR, said: “Through IFFR’s distinct programming, we’re committed to opening a space for ideas  that captivate, inspire and entertain – and our Talks lineup is an integral part of delivering on this. We hope this year’s offering will again spark vital dialogue and engagement by giving audiences a thought-provoking array of discussions, each offering fresh perspectives and unexpected discoveries.”

Big Talks

A Queer Family Affair

Join a special festival Big Talk with the cast of Jimpa (IFFR 2026). Hanna van Vliet will moderate a conversation with renowned actor John Lithgow and the Dutch cast (including Hans Kesting, Romana Vrede and Zoë Love Smith), for a conversation exploring the film’s creative origins, cross-cultural collaboration and themes of identity, legacy and chosen family.

Kleber Mendonça Filho & Carla Simón

Kleber Mendonça Filho and Carla Simón discuss how cinema can give form to memory, intimate and historical alike, while blending realism with genre on one side and formal experimentation with deeply personal storytelling on the other.

Marwan Hamed & Yousry Nasrallah

Join two legends of Egyptian cinema in conversation. Acclaimed Egyptian filmmaker Marwan Hamed – whose works are celebrated in IFFR’s 2026 retrospective – sits down with renowned director Yousry Nasrallah for an in-depth talk. The pair will discuss Hamed’s biopic El Sett (IFFR 2026) as well as highlights from their distinguished filmmaking careers.

Nicolas Becker & Simon Fisher Turner

A Big Talk featuring French composer and sound engineer Nicolas Becker (Krakatoa, IFFR 2026), winner of an Academy Award for Best Sound for Sound of Metal, and actor, musician, and sound designer Simon Fisher Turner (Heart of Light – eleven songs for Fiji, IFFR 2026), famous for his extensive collaborations with Derek Jarman. These multifaceted artists  come together to discuss the creative processes behind some of cinema’s most iconic sound designs and music scores, as well as the rich variety of interdisciplinary collaborations that continue to nurture and expand their artistic research.

Robby Müller Award: Yorick Le Saux

Two films in IFFR 2026, The Wizard of the Kremlin and Father Mother Sister Brother, showcase the remarkably supple and expressive work of cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, winner of this year’s Robby Müller Award. Le Saux will discuss his cinematographic approach, his inspirations and highlights from his extensive oeuvre.

Valeria Golino & Hiam Abbass

Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (Palestine 36, The Arab, IFFR 2026) and Italian actress Valeria Golino (Fuori, IFFR 2026) will discuss their longstanding international careers, spanning arthouse cinema and acclaimed television series. Drawing on their experience, they’ll reflect on the processes through which they shape their characters.

Tiger Talks

The Decolonising Imagination of Collectif Faire-Part

Collectif Faire-Part is an ensemble of Belgian and Congolese artists exploring Belgium’s colonial history, contemporary power dynamics and collective resistance rooted in decolonisation. This talk, organised for the collective’s first international retrospective, brings together all four members: Paul Shemisi, Anne Reijniers, Rob Jacobs and Nizar Saleh.

A Language to Build With

In this conversation, Art Directions artists Silvia Gatti (Preludio, installation, IFFR 2026) and Jacco Gardner (Alterity, installation, IFFR 2026), as well as video game pioneer Jeff Minter talk about their creative processes and how they incorporate “machines” into their work. These artists all explore language through technology in games, performances and sculptural installation. They develop their own computer languages, make machines talk, use AI to aid in memory and reflection, and build installations with languages spoken by humans and computers alike. Moderated by Sanneke Huisman, the talk reflects on how technology changes the way we speak, think, and remember.

Life Lessons from Women Filmmakers

The founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW) 60 years ago signaled a new era for feminism, and therewith filmmaking by women. What has changed in the decades since? What are the new problems that women who want to make films face? The panel will feature, among others, Renata Gąsiorowska, Laura Laabs and Andrea Luka Zimmerman. 

Tetsuya Maruyama – Small Gauge, Small Means, Big Effect

A conversation exploring the journey of Tetsuya Maruyama’s creation. How he cultivates creativity in emulsion and light, and brings it to life in his own way – through his thinking, his working, his ideas. We will hear how he begins a project, his approach, and what inspires him. While he works mostly in analogue film, his practice spans performance, installation, text and found sound compilations. The conversation will also touch on how his work has evolved in the Global South, and how he works with film: what it is, and what it is not. Moderated by Lichun Tseng, this conversation reveals how his worlds of emulsion, film, light and sound meet, shaping a vision entirely his own.

V-Cinema: The Other History of Japanese Film

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Okawa Toshimichi or Tsuruta Norio, but they are two of the most influential Japanese filmmakers of the past 40 years. In this conversation they get to talk about working in V-Cinema and their unique position in Japanese film history.

Queerness and 21st Century Politics 

This panel invites a shared reflection on queerness as a creative force that has long shaped cinema from the margins. Rather than framing it as opposition, the discussion explores how queer perspectives open up alternative ways of imagining, making and experiencing film. Together, the speakers will consider how contemporary film markets influence artistic choices, and how cinema can continue to make space for risk, complexity and critical thinking.

This talk is presented as both a Tiger Talk and as part of the IFFR Pro Dialogues programme of industry panels for industry and press delegates at the festival. Further topics in the programme include the future of African independent cinema, Indigenous storytelling and story sovereignty, sex on screen and the current state and ecology of film festivals. 

IFFR Pro

Alongside the Dialogues programme, a series of practical Meet the Experts sessions will offer guidance on topics such as impact producing, alternative distribution strategies and filmmaking on a shoestring budget.

IFFR Pro will also once again spotlight Dutch filmmaking talent with the second edition of Pulling Focus: NL 2026 on Sunday 1 February – a day of activity and conversations highlighting Dutch breakthrough success on the international stage. More information will follow.    

Contact: press@IFFR.com