Talent development at IFFR 2024
11 January 2024
IFFR welcomes a vibrant group of participants who’ll be heading to Rotterdam to develop their skills and establish professional connections, while immersing in the dynamics of an international festival and co-production market. Rotterdam Lab, Creative Producer Indaba and BoostNL return with an aim to champion and support promising emerging talent from all over the world. Check out the thrilling opportunities we have lined up for them.
Rotterdam Lab
Every year, IFFR Pro's worldwide partners and collaborators nominate outstanding emerging film producers to participate in the Rotterdam Lab. Now in its 24th edition, this five-day ride of panel sessions, roundtables, and networking events provides a golden opportunity for participants to refine their (co)producing craft and expand their international network.
On top of welcoming 66 producers from over 40 countries, selected through 43 partner organisations, this year for the first time ever – thanks to the support of Creative Europe MEDIA – we launched an open call to further expand the plurality of voices, backgrounds and experience within the cohort. Selected through an open submission process that saw more than 160 applications, we are delighted to welcome: Eduardo Tello (Peru), Liliana Lasprilla (Portugal), Marta Gmosińska (Poland), Patricia D'Intino (Hungary) and Tricia Sello (Botswana).
The Rotterdam Lab would not be possible without our esteemed partners. This year we’re happy to continue working with most of our long-term partners while celebrating a new collaboration with Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) and welcoming back the Royal Film Commission – Jordan.
Rotterdam Lab 2024 participant profiles
During the five days of the programme, in addition to a wide-range of networking opportunities, we’ll trace the journey that an independent international co-production goes through from the birth of the project to getting it funded and produced, up to the moment it’s shared with the world on the big screen and beyond.
A full-circle moment arrives with the team of Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry who return to IFFR and will explore and share the journey of their co-production. Both HBF-supported and a CineMart project in 2022, the film was also co-produced by former Rotterdam Lab producer, Thomas Reichlin.
Within a whole day focused on traditional versus alternative financing routes, the Hubert Bals Fund will host an event on the transformations undergoing the public funding landscape, while Strategic Creative Economy Expert Juliane Schulze will help the cohort in thinking outside the box to unlock the full financing potential of an independent film. In addition to a series of roundtables with experts ranging from production to sales and distribution, we’ll also be hosting a squad of next generation film professionals who’ll be looking into the future and asking themselves: must old habits really die-hard?
Creative Producer Indaba
Developing or seeking to collaborate with African film projects, the 15 participants include not only producers but also other film professionals aiming to enhance their entrepreneurial and leadership skills, foster their creativity, and establish valuable international networks.
The group met back in November at the Atlas Workshops during Marrakech International Film Festival and will reunite in Rotterdam for a week of group work sessions, seminars and one-to-one meetings. As well as mingling with other emerging filmmakers and expanding their network, they’ll receive mentoring from group leaders Mehret Mandefro and Diana Elbaum, alongside the Head of Studies and Executive Director of the Realness Institute Elias Ribeiro, Sata Cissokho (international sales) and Tracey Lee Rainers (story development practitioner and creative collaborator).
The Creative Producer Indaba is supported by Institut Français d'Afrique du Sud, Projeto Paradiso, and The Storyboard Collective in partnership with EAVE, IFFR Pro, Marrakech International Film Festival (Atlas Workshops), Canadian Film Fund, Focal, and Austrian Film Institute.
Creative Producer Indaba participants 2024
BoostNL
Our customised 5-month development initiative – in partnership with the Nederlands Film Festival’s Holland Film Meeting (HFM) – facilitates the collaboration between Dutch and international projects that have been supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, establishing a distinctive international platform for co-development.
This year we welcome six projects who’ll reconvene in Rotterdam for a four-part workshop, led by Uruguayan producer Agustina Chiarino and Dutch freelance consultant and project manager Fay Breeman. The programme will delve into professional group workflows, proposing a method that fosters a new attitude towards giving and receiving project feedback during the development stage. An approach that applies to both artistic and production values while expanding the possibilities for collective learning.
Launchpad
Stemming from a partnership between Locarno Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and IFFR, the main purpose of the Launchpad is to facilitate access to this network of festivals to a group of emerging film professionals, while propelling their career further and wider.
Each festival, industry platform, or market has selected a group of participants who will be granted automatic access to all these events for the 12 months following their selection. They will receive free industry accreditation together with a series of highlights to guide them through the different programmes. On top of all the in-person networking events, each partner will also host an online introduction meeting as well as a yearly global online get-together with the whole Launchpad community.
This year’s selected participants include professionals working in film funds, film festivals and events, and film curation.
Team
The team welcoming talent to IFFR 2024 is Facundo Lema, Alberto Pickers and Vittoria Leardini. If you want to get in touch, email [email protected].
IFFR Pro
IFFR champions boundary-pushing independent cinema – both through its festival programming and its industry activities which offer year-round support to film professionals.
