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 - in theatres now

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 - in theatres now

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. 

20th Century Women - for sale on Blu-ray and DVD

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.

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.

My Father's Choice - in theatres now

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.

La région salvaje - in theatres now

Hoe het precies werkt, is moeilijk te zeggen. Er is een meteoriet. Véronica wordt op horror-achtige wijze overmeesterd door extreme lusten. Zij blijft niet de enige. En dat in het conservatieve Guanajuato, met zijn maatschappelijke gruwelen van geweld en homofobie – want bij regisseur Escalante (Heli, 2013) is de harde realiteit van Mexico nooit ver weg. Read more here.

Pop Aye - in theatres now

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.

Donkeyote - in theatres now

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.

Nocturama - in theatres from 20 july

A group of young people from every corner of French society coordinates a series of bombings in Paris. This timely premise is pushed here to its best and most thought-provoking treatment in a radical action movie on millennial radicalism, a dreamy experiment in terror. Read more here.

La mort de Louis XIV - in theatres from 20 july

Beyond the Mountains and Hills - in theatres from 20 july

Success means doing unpleasant things, that’s what David gets to hear when he tries to find his feet in modern day Israel after 27 years in military service. A tense society that focuses on money and status. This forms the starting point for a series of dubious decisions taken by David and his family. Read more here.

Tramontane - in theatres from 3 august

Moving, ingenious and musical narrative about life after war. When his band is to perform in Europe, blind Lebanese musician Rabih has to get a passport. This leads to a quest for his roots in a country where the civil war has left a trail of lies and loss. Who is really blind here? Read more here.

Orpheline - in theatres from 10 august

If you look back through someone’s life you’ll encounter someone who is perhaps intrinsically the same in every phase of life, but is in some senses also unrecognisable. That’s why the lead, a school director, is here portrayed by four different actresses using an exciting form of narrative that does entail some risk of disorientation. Read more here.

Maudite Poutine - in theatres from 10 august

Young musician Vincent is targeted by the mob and flees to his small hometown. There, he unexpectedly reconnects with his older brother, a tortured soul who embodies everything he wanted to escape. A somber and raw drama with an intensity reminiscent of the films of Philippe Grandrieux. Read more here.

Wolf and Sheep​ - in theatres from 10 august

Old traditions, customs and stories live on in a small shepherd community in the mountains of Afghanistan. The experiences of the village children – their friendships and enmities, work and play – expose the relations within the community. An honest, loving portrait with a hint of mysticism. Read more here.

Knife in the Clear Water - in theatres from 7 september

In the remote hills of Ningxia, old Ma Zishan lives with his family, who are Islamic Hui Chinese. in line with custom, the family want to sacrifice it’s only bull for the ceremony marking the death of Ma's wife. But both Ma and the bull have other ideas in this beautifully made melancholy fable. Read more here.

Safari - in theatres from 14 september

In an uneasy yet secure way, the Austrian stylist Seidl shows white Westerners on hunting vacations in Africa. They pose proudly with the beautiful animals they have shot from a safe distance. While poor blacks drag the carcasses and butcher them, the affluent whites explain the excitement of a good shot. Read more here.

Manifesto - in theatres from 5 october

An outstanding tribute to various (art) manifestos of the nineteenth and twentieth century, ranging from Communism to Dogme, in connection with thirteen different characters, including a homeless man, a factory worker and a corporate CEO, who are all played by the incredible Cate Blanchett. A striking humorous audio-visual experience. Read more here.

The Man (Mesteren) - in theatres from 26 October

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.

Paterson - for sale on Blu-ray and DVD

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 - for sale on Blu-ray and DVD

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.

Moonlight - for sale on Blu-ray and DVD

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. 

Raw - for sale on Blu-ray and DVD from 26 july

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.

Quality Time - for sale on Blu-ray and DVD from 20 september

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.  

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