New premieres and shorts Focus programmes unveiled for IFFR 2026
IFFR has revealed an additional selection of premieres across its Harbour, Bright Future and Limelight strands, alongside its two shorts Focus programmes, for the upcoming 55th edition of the festival taking place from 29 January – 8 February 2026. The shorts Focus programmes will centre on the ensemble of Belgian and Congolese artists Collectif Faire-Part and the Japanese multidisciplinary artist Tetsuya Maruyama.
The fresh raft of premieres for the upcoming edition include the world premieres of experimental 3D-rendered comedy The Misconceived from James N. Kienitz Wilkins; performance-based film Songs of Hope and Despair. Performed by Bundschuh, Fish, Fox Tail, Rainbow, Dead Drummer, Muse-Leaving Germany and by other agencies from the Chto Delat collective; and debut features IAI from Sakai Zenzo and Why Do I See You In Everything? from Rand Abou Fakher.
Additionally, the festival will welcome international premieres of dark Basque fairy tale Gaua from Paul Urkijo Alijo; Thunska Pansittivorakul’s music-filled journey Isan Odyssey; the atmospheric neo-noir Mergen from Chingiz Narynov, and Gamer Girls from Veronica Bassetto and Sophie Yang. Under the Limelight strand, which features highlights of this year’s festival circuit, European premieres will be held for the road movie Tokyo Taxi from Japanese veteran filmmaker Yamada Yoji – marking his 91st film, and the historical epic Quezon from Jerrold Tarog.
For the shorts Focus programmes, Collectif Faire-Part explores Belgium’s colonial history, contemporary power dynamics and collective resistance rooted in decolonisation. Through a multidisciplinary practice encompassing film, photography and performance, founding members Anne Reijniers, Paul Shemisi, Nizar Saleh and Rob Jacobs seek to articulate new narratives about Kinshasa, Brussels, and the complex ties that continue to bind them. Marking their first international retrospective, IFFR’s Focus programme will feature the world premiere of What We Said to Brussels Airlines, their 2023 IFFR selected title Speech for a Melting Statue and L’escale, alongside additional collective and individual works.
Tetsuya Maruyama is a Japanese multidisciplinary artist based in Rio de Janeiro. Though working mostly in analogue film, his works range from performance to installation, text to found sound compilations. IFFR’s programme will put this diversity on full display for audiences to discover his exploration of the quotidian carefully observed and dissected by lens and emulsion, microphone and pen. The programme will include the world premieres of third mountain featuring slides from a Brazilian mining company, Q&A which centres on images created through a homemade pinhole camera, FOTOGRAFAR in which a glass of water and a beam of light become tools of diaristic self-reflection; and One more performance that unfolds a space in which a performance examines the space of cinema as cinema itself. Additional works will include untitled(three moons), ANTFILM, GIRA 2 and more.
Vanja Kaludjercic, Festival Director at IFFR, said: “At IFFR, we want every audience member to feel welcome and inspired to explore fresh perspectives. This new selection of premieres and shorts reflects the creative energy and curiosity that define our festival. The two Shorts Focus programmes each open up their own space: one through Tetsuya Maruyama’s tactile, analogue approach to performance and image-making; the other through Collectif Faire-Part’s ongoing reflections on how we address colonial histories and the questions they continue to raise. Both offer bold, distinctive voices that we’re proud to bring to Rotterdam.”
Harbour titles
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The Misconceived
James N. Kienitz Wilkins | 88′ | USA | World premiere
An experimental 3D-rendered home renovation comedy – or an acidic treatise on working conditions for the modern creative. -
Ripples in the Mist
Clara Law | 119′ | Australia | European premiere
Stories of two Hong Kong women in exile coalesce into a poetic exploration of grief, memory and artistic expression. -
Isan Odyssey
Thunska Pansittivorakul | 80′ | Thailand | International premiere
A journey in song and dance through the suppressed chapters of Thailand’s political history. -
Songs of Hope and Despair. Performed by Bundschuh, Fish, Fox Tail, Rainbow, Dead Drummer, Muse-Leaving Germany and by other agencies
Chto Delat | 82′ | Germany | World premiere (festival)
Strangely costumed heroes long for a miracle in this absurdist lo-fi musical roadmovie by the Chto Delat collective.
Bright Future titles
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IAI
Sakai Zenzo | 90′ | Japan | World premiere
Kana begins experiencing vivid dreams and strange premonitions in this blend of psychological horror and family drama. -
Why Do I See You In Everything?
Rand Abou Fakher | 70′ | Belgium | World premiere
Two Syrian friends drift through dreams and memories, searching for tenderness amid cycles of violence. -
Gamer Girls
Veronica Bassetto, Sophie Yang | 102′ | Hong Kong | International premiere
Esports team Gamer Girls faces real-life battles in this energetic and empowering debut.
Limelight titles
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Tokyo Taxi
Yamada Yoji | 103′ | Japan | European premiere
A road movie taking audiences through the melancholic metropolis and nostalgic nooks of Tokyo.
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About IFFR
International Film Festival Rotterdam’s (IFFR) upcoming 55th edition of the festival will take place from 29 January – 8 February 2026. IFFR presents a leading international film festival and year-round programme and actively supports new and adventurous filmmaking talent through its co-production market CineMart, its Hubert Bals Fund, Rotterdam Lab and other industry activities.
IFFR seeks to expand, enrich and challenge people’s views of the world and each other through film and audiovisual arts. IFFR’s programme deepens appreciation of cinema in all its forms, broadens and diversifies audiences, and creates opportunities for independent filmmakers and artists from around the globe.
Through IFFR’s visionary programming and forward-looking initiatives, we create a haven for the plurality of voices, audiovisual formats and diverse storytelling. We are an essential destination for film professionals and film lovers. We support filmmakers and artists with funding and development opportunities and advance the impact of their work in the world. We are accessible to everyone. Through screenings, talks, exhibitions, education, professional initiatives and funding schemes we bring people from all backgrounds together, enabling discovery, recognition dialogue, learning and development. We look where others don’t and we open a space for ideas, pushing creative boundaries that have the power to transform.
IFFR is supported by partners including Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap (OCW), Gemeente Rotterdam, Rotterdam Festivals, Creative Europe Media, NL Film Fonds, Fonds 21, de Volkskrant and VriendenLoterij.
Contact: IFFR@ddaglobal.com
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