Did you miss a must-see film during the festival? Keep calm! Some of our IFFR pearls will come out this year in cinemas, on dvd or as video on demand. We will keep you updated of this throughout the year. A handful of films are already (or will be shortly) in movie theatres around the country. We're talking about:

Double Play - from 25 May in theatres

An electrifying sketch of society in Curaçao focused on the apparently innocent domino game played by four men every Sunday. Until it unexpectedly takes a dramatic turn. There are dangerous secrets, women who make radical choices and a boy who sees everything. Based on the successful novel Double Play by Frank Martinus Arion. Read more here. 

King of the Belgians - from 25 May in theatres

Widely praised Belgian mockumentary and road movie by IFFR regulars Brosens and Woodworth. A Belgian king hears during a state visit to Turkey that Wallonia has become independent. What follows is a hilarious journey by the king and his entourage through the Balkans, reflecting all possible (cultural) clichés. Read more here. 

Burma Storybook - TV: 30 May, 22:55 hours, 2Doc / NPO2

Poet and activist from Myanmar Maung Aung Pwint has spent large swathes of his life in prison. Now the country is free after 50 years of military dictatorship, he reminisces and struggles with painful memories. A poetic, loving documentary about a country reinventing itself. Read more here. 

Moonlight - in theatres now

American indie sensation shows the life of a black man as he grows from being the poor child of a single, addicted mother into a tough adult continually wracked with doubt. This poetic narration about the exploration of identity, sexuality and bonding is pioneering in its tender portrayal of black masculinity. It has already won many prizes. Winner Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Read more here. The maker of this Oscar-nominated film (also the winner of the Warsteiner Publieksprijs 2017) gave an inspiring masterclass during IFFR 2017, which you can watch here. 

Paterson - in theatres now

Paterson (Adam Driver) gets up at six a.m., drives his bus, comes home to his wife Golshifteh Farahani at six p.m., walks the dog and has a beer at his local bar. Every day. In the meantime, he writes poetry. Jarmusch is the loving observer of this loving observer. A small oasis of a film. Read more here.

Lady Macbeth - in theatres now

Young Katherine is a prisoner in her own home in Northumberland in 1865 and is thoroughly humiliated by her sadistic husband and his authoritarian father. Living in such a loveless world has to lead to excesses in this powerful costume drama. When Katherine embarks on a all-consuming affair with a servant, things really go wrong. Read more here.

Raw - in theatres now

The way to the heart is through the stomach. This particularly true for young veterinary student Justine. After the vegetarian is forced to eat raw rabbit during a student initiation, she develops a worrying lust for meat. Already highly lauded, bloody, stomach-turning horror about physical lust in which humans act like animals. Read more here.

20th Century Women - in theatres now

Dorothea Fields, eccentric single mother, calls on two young women to help her raise her adolescent son in an era of cultural changes and rebellion. A love letter to those who bring us up and the years that form us. Heart-warming, funny and empathic, partly thanks to the star role by Annette Bening. Read more here.

Free Fire - in theatres now

Retro gangsters in glitter jackets and bell-bottoms try to stay alive during an arms deal that gets out of hand in a deserted factory. Ben Wheatley’s cool cast finds itself in a classic shoot-out, with well-aimed bullets and one-liners. Who will survive the battle in this bold action film? Read more here. 

Quality Time - in theatres now

In a self-assured and highly satirical debut, Daan Bakker portrays a series of plodding young men and their relationships to their worried parents. Using a fresh visual style, the Dutch filmmaker seamlessly combines dry, Monty Pythonseque humour with razor-sharp graphics and real human emotions. Read more here. 

Sami Blood - in theatres now

Keenly observed drama about the position of Sami – the Laps – in Sweden in the 1930s. In Sami Blood we see through the eyes of a 14-year-old Sami girl (compellingly played by Lene Cecilia Sparrok) how prejudice and racial stereotypes can be gruesome obstacles. Assured debut by half Sami, half Swedish Kernell. Read more here.

Pop Aye - from 29 June in theatres

A disillusioned architect rediscovers Pop Aye, the elephant from his childhood, in the streets of Bangkok. Together they set off on a journey to the village where they grew up. Occasionally funny, occasionally moving road movie about two uprooted souls who meet the most colourful figures on their journey home. Winner VPRO Big Screen Award 2017. Read more here.

My Father's Choice - from 15 June in theatres

Her father fled Mao's Cultural Revolution, going to Hong Kong. Not long after, he joined the great Chinese exodus to the West and started a restaurant in Maastricht. But was his personal story really so closely interwoven with the history of China, Yan Ting Yuen wonders in this family portrait. Read more here.

Donkeyote - from 29 June in theatres

Manolo wants to walk the Trail of Tears, the route used during the forced removal of Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma. But the 73-year-old Andalusian has chronic arthritis, speaks no English and more importantly: how will he get his trusty donkey into the US – and cure its fear of water? An ode to intransigence and friendship.Nominated for the VPRO Big Screen Award. Read more here. 

Photo: cast and crew Donkeyote at IFFR 2017, by Joke Schut. 

The Man (Mesteren) - from 26 October in theatres

When the unknown son of world-famous artist Simon suddenly turns up and moves in with him, things start getting tense. Is this just a midlife crisis, professional jealously or justified suspicion? What does the enigmatic Casper really want from him? Satire, thriller and fluently filmed drama set in the art world of the always photogenic Copenhagen. Read more here.

Photo: cast and crew The Man at IFFR 2017, by Bram Belloni.

Check theatres near you for dates and times. And stay tuned, because more filmtitles will follow the next couple of weeks!