Go to IFFR for free
Some parts of the IFFR programme you can enjoy free of charge. This includes the festival from 30 january – 9 february 2025. Discover the free events here.
Art Directions
Kijkmodule at Rotterdam Central Station
In the Kijkmodule at Rotterdam Central Station will be the installation Happy New Year by Jinjoon Lee, juxtaposing the joy of New Year celebrations with the harsh realities of war and disasters. Combining digital utopias with classical art forms, the installation calls for reflection on the tension between illusion, apathy and our shared reality.
Fri 31 Jan to Sun 9 Feb, entrance hall Rotterdam Central Station, free entrance
WORM
Safe.Self.Sense. by David Verbeek and Yu He Lin, commissioned by IFFR, is a 3-channel video installation and separate performance. Through dance, image and sound, the work explores how the pandemic has affected our perception of safety, identity and senses.
Fri 31 Jan to Sat 8 Feb, WORM: UBIK
Silent Engine / V2_, Lab for the Unstable Media
Who really benefits from technological progress? In Silent Engine, Korean interdisciplinary artist Kahee Jeong uses image and sound to show how the digital divide and an increasingly exclusive future is changing our society.
Fri 31 Jan to Sun 9 Feb, V2_Lab for Unstable Media, free entrance
Faces of Rotterdam: A Glimpse into Our 170+ Nationalities
Faces of Rotterdam brings the city to life with stories and faces of 170+ nationalities in the port city. Through community centers and networks, a spontaneous and warm tribute to inclusion and connection is created.
Fri 31 Jan to Sat 8 Feb, De Doelen Studio 2, free entrance
En Passant
Public space is a stage where fleeting encounters and unexpected connections take place. In En Passant, Chris de Krijger explores how people’s paths cross in the Central Library near Rotterdam Blaak: a place where anonymity and togetherness meet. The chess board acts as a backdrop, but the essence is in the people who pass: colourful characters who lose themselves in the game, the rules and each other. Here, it is not about winning or losing, but about being together. But an unexpected incident raises questions about our capacity for empathy and our need for community.
Fri 31 Jan to Sun 9 Feb, Central Library Rotterdam, free entrance
AN ANIMATED DOG READS JOHN BERGER, HARAWAY, AND KAFKA
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 23 million American households adopted pets, reflecting the growing urge for animal companions. The evolving, yet complex bond between humans and animals lies at the core of Artist in Focus Matthew Lax’s AN ANIMATED DOG READS JOHN BERGER, HARAWAY, AND KAFKA which explores the complexities of human-dog relationships through cultural and philosophical lenses.
Fri 31 Jan to Tue 4 Feb, de Doelen Studio 2, free entrance
In a Landscape
Timoteus Anggawan Kusno (1989), one of IFFR’s Artists in Focus, creates work that delves deeply into memory, dreams, and power. Complementing his films, Kusno’s charcoal drawings in the series In a Landscape serve as meditations on these themes, with the landscape functioning as a metaphorical space that asks: How do you remember, and how do you forget?
Fri 31 Jan to Tue 4 Feb, de Doelen Studio 2, free entrance
VHS Community Programme
Our Focus program invites audiences to rediscover video culture both on screen and in person. From 6-8 February, Video aficionados and experts of the low res format are invited to exchange highlights from their collections at WORM. Expect anything from home videos to obscure cult classics. bring your own tape or just come relive the VHS community spirit!
Thurs 6 to Fri 8 Feb, WORM, free entrance (12-10pm)
Open Spaces: RAFF x IFFR Panel Talk – Preserving culture and freedom in a changing Syria
Join us for an engaging panel discussion on the role of art and culture in transitional periods. The talk will feature leading voices from the fields of music, film, and cultural preservation, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities for artists working in complex political landscapes.
Date and time: 7 february / 15:00 – 16:00 (Doors open at 14:30)
Location: de Doelen Van Capellen Zaal
Club IFFR
After the last film on both Fridays and Saturdays, as well as the second Thursday, the festival continues with Club IFFR. Enjoy the best live music and DJs all night long, in Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg. Admission is free on presentation of a pass or film ticket.
WORM
In WORM, there will be a free installation which is open to visitors during the whole festival.