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29 Jan – 8 Feb 2026

Art Directions for industry

This year, IFFR launches the Art Directions accreditation, designed for artists, filmmakers, producers, curators and industry professionals working at the intersection of visual arts, immersive media, and cinema. On this page you can find all the useful information you need for attending the festival with an Art Directions badge.

Café Kuba: Who Dared to Awaken the Dead Memory by David Shongo, IFFR Art Directions 2026

About Art Directions

Originally named Exploding Cinema, Art Directions is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026. The IFFR Art Directions programme blurs the boundaries between film and art through an inspiring series of pop-up exhibitions, installations, and performances across the festival. From pop-up installations across the city and in our partner and immersive hub Katoenhuis in M4H, Rotterdam’s creative district, to live performances audiovisual and immersive media experiences, the programme invites you to step beyond the film theatre and engage with groundbreaking crossover experiences.

Useful information for professionals

As well as the information on this page, take a look at the general information for professionals to find handy information about collecting your accreditation, ticket booking and more.

Visiting Katoenhuis

For the second year running, Katoenhuis will be the main venue and partner for Art Directions, hosting installations, immersive media and for the first time – the industry extension of the programme, Lightroom, which will unite projects in development and works-in-progress together with a symposium. Katoenhuis is located in M4H, Rotterdam’s creative district.

  • Shuttle bus

    We will be running shuttle busses from ‘de Doelen’ to Katoenhuis. Please sign-up at the information desk. There will be a maximum of 8 spots per shuttle.

    Saturday 31 January, Friday 6 February and Saturday 7 February

    • Departures from de Doelen: 12.00 / 13.30 / 15.00 / 16.30 / 18.00 / 19.30 / 20.30
    • Returns from Katoenhuis: 12.30 / 14.00 / 15.30 / 17.00 / 18.30 / 20.00 / 21.00

    Sunday 1 to Thursday 5 February

    • Departures from de Doelen: 12.00 / 13.30 / 15.00 / 16.30 / 18.00
    • Returns from Katoenhuis: 12.30 / 14.00 / 15.30 / 17.00 / 18.30

  • Take the tram from ‘de Doelen’

    Apart from our shuttle, the quickest way to get to Katoenhuis from the festival heart at ‘de Doelen’ is via the tram.

    Take the tram from the Kruiskade stop: when you leave the festival heart via the festival Kruisplein exit, turn left and walk a short distance before turning right crossing the street at the zebra crossing. Walk towards the Pho Vietnamese restaurant, at which point the Kruiskade tram stop will be in front of you. Wait for the 1, 7 or 11 tram heading westwards (to the right, looking from the restaurant). The journey will then be around 12 minutes or 7 stops to Marcoiplein.

    Once there, it is a 10-15 minute walk to Katoenhuis. Festival flags will guide you when you arrive at Marconiplein. Find your way via Google Maps here.

  • Metro

    If you are travelling from elsewhere in Rotterdam, Katoenhuis is accessible via metro from stop Marconiplein on metro line A, B, or C.

    Once there, it is a 10-15 minute walk to Katoenhuis. Festival flags will guide you when you arrive at Marconiplein. Find your way via Google Maps here.

  • Watertaxi

    Katoenhuis is very conveniently located directly next to the Watertaxi drop-off point ‘Keilehaven’. This is esspecially helpful if you are travelling from the Kop van Zuid (Hotel New York), near to the Fenix museum. Find out more here.

Immersive media access

Regular press and industry badge-holders have been given a specific day on Monday 2 February to view the immersive media programme in Katoenhuis. Outside of this slot, attendance is only possible through last-minute access at the venue should availability permit. Art Directions badge-holders can reserve at any time.

More locations

Extending across Rotterdam’s cultural spaces, the programme continues with live audiovisual performances at WORM and site-specific installations developed with partners, including Jonathas de Andrade’s Raftsmen and Canoeists at Central Station, Alterity by Jacco Gardner at BRUTUS, Homecoming by Mark Dorf at Nieuwe Instituut, My Sweet Elora by Luuk van Raamsdonk at  Plein / Fenix, and Elsemarijn Bruys new site specific installation Reflection 2.0 at V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media.

Art Directions professional programme

As part of your Art Directions accreditation, a number of special networking drinks and events have been organised. Take a look!

Art Directions 2026 Opening & Press Welcome Drinks

Friday 30 January, 18.00 – 21.00
Katoenhuis
The festive opening of Art Directions 2026, featuring speeches by Festival Director Vanja Kaludjercic, Arnold van de Water (Director of Katoenhuis) and Ahmed Shawky (President of FIPRESCI), followed by a performance of Krakatoa by Carlos Casas and Nicholas Becker.

Reality Check: Lightroom. Building the Future of Immersive Storytelling

Saturday 31 January, 11.00 – 17.30
Katoenhuis
Lightroom is IFFR’s new industry platform for immersive storytelling, hosted in Katoenhuis. As part of the Lightroom programme, the Reality Check: Lightroom symposium will be held on 31 January bringing together artists, producers, curators, technologists, funders and policymakers to explore how immersive storytelling can move from experimentation towards sustainable artistic and industry frameworks.

Please note, Reality Check attendance is by-invitation only. If you are interested, please email lightroom@IFFR.com.

Art Directions Speed Dating Breakfast

Sunday 1 February, 9.30 – 11.00
Nieuwe Café at Nieuwe Instituut
This isn’t your typical networking event. Artists, curators, producers and distributors will meet 1:1 in focused 10-minute rounds – enough time to discover common interests and share your work. Warm drinks and breakfast pastries will keep the conversations flowing. A great opportunity to connect, exchange ideas and spark collaborations in a dynamic setting.

Art Directions or IFFR Pro badge-holders only. RSVP: artdirections@IFFR.com (limited places).

IFFR Pro Dialogue: Artist/Curator/Producer

Sunday 1 February, 14.30 – 16.00
de Doelen Studio 8
Artists, curators and producers explore the fluid relationships that bring moving image work to life across festivals, biennials, galleries and museums.
Panellists: Guilherme Blanc (Batalha Centro de Cinema), Pinky Ghundale (Daya Films), James N. Kienitz Wilkins (director, The Misconceived)
Moderated by: Madeleine Molyneaux

Art Directions 30th Anniversary Celebration at the Depot

Sunday 1 February, 17.30 – 19.30
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
Celebrating 30 years of Art Directions and this year’s collaboration with Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen with an exclusive visit to Depot Solo #1: Figure, Field, Grid by Mandy El-Sayegh, followed by a festive cocktail hour. Welcoming words by Ina Klaassen (Director, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen) and Melissa van der Schoor (Chief of Content, IFFR).

Introducing Lightroom

Thirty years ago, IFFR’s Exploding Cinema sparked a dialogue between digital technology and the language of cinema. In 2026, IFFR launches Lightroom: a new industry platform for bold audiovisual experiments. Hear from the programme curators what they have in store.

Lightroom

Lightroom is IFFR’s new industry platform for immersive storytelling, held during IFFR Pro Days. It brings together XR, VR, interactive and large-scale installation projects that were previously presented as works in progress or in development within CineMart and Darkroom, creating a single, unified market space closely aligned with IFFR’s Art Directions programme.

Those with an Art Directions: Lightroom accreditation can find full project information on the following page.