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30 Jan – 9 Feb 2025

Open call RTM Pitch

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RTM Pitch is back! Thanks to a contribution from the municipality of Rotterdam, IFFR can once again invest in the city’s talent. As well as offering the selected filmmaker the chance to make their film, this year we’re collaborating with talent agency QISSA to provide an additional development grant to another selected filmmaker, as well as custom-made coaching for five further creators. Applications are now open!  Register with a plan for a film between 5 and 20 minutes. In January 2026, the winning film will premiere at IFFR as part of the RTM programme.

Cargo ship in the port of Rotterdam at nighttime.

In addition to our long-standing collaboration with the municipality of Rotterdam on RTM Pitch, this year we are also joining forces with QISSA. QISSA is an agency that helps underrepresented voices and stories find their own way. Thanks to the new collaboration, in addition to the RTM Pitch winner, we can also offer five more creators the right guidance, tools and opportunities to further develop themselves and shape their ideas.

The submissions will be assessed by a jury consisting of film experts and IFFR programmers. Together, they will select:

  • About RTM

    RTM is IFFR’s programme dedicated to Rotterdam. Films and filmmakers from the Maasstad take centre stage, both in the film selection as well as special events designed for the exchange of cinematic knowledge and experiences amongst local filmmakers. Expect new short-length and feature films, Rotterdam classics, events, talks, audiovisual art, video clips and installations. 

    With RTM Pitch, IFFR and the municipality of Rotterdam offer a grant of €20,000 to support the production of a short film that has our home city at its heart. The four completed films made with the grant so far are: You Can’t Automate Me (2021), So Loud the Sky Can Hear Us (2022), Fantoomwijk (2023) and The Battle of the empty Stomachs (2024). The project presented by the fifth winner, Sharine Rijsenburg, is now in production.

  • About QISSA

    QISSA is an agency, community, and home for talents. It is committed to supporting the new generation of creators and their stories. By continuously seeking new opportunities to create meaningful connections, QISSA aims to make a significant difference within the heart of creative systems, where unique creators with extraordinary stories deserve to be (better) heard.

How to participate

Submit your film plan through the application form on this page, either in the form of a written director’s statement, or a three-minute video pitch. 

Please include a description of your story, where it takes place, your cinematic vision, and information about yourself and your team. You may add supporting images or previous work as an attachment. 

If you choose to send a video, paste the link (Vimeo or YouTube) in the field at the bottom of the form.

A jury of film experts and programmers from IFFR’s Short & Mid-length film programme will evaluate the entries. We’ll then be in touch with our winner who will receive advice and coaching from an experienced producer during the development and production of the film project.

Deadline: Monday 25 November 2024

  • Selection criteria

    • You are a filmmaker of at least 18 years old (early-career or established)
    • You live and work in the Rotterdam region
    • The city of Rotterdam plays a leading role in the setting of your film, regardless of the district
    • You are able to put together your own team and work with your own producer, who will be responsible for the film’s budget
    • Your film addresses a current or social theme that fits well within IFFR’s DNA 
    • Your film plan is original and innovative in both form and content

  • Additional information

    • Depending on the needs of the selected project, coaching will be offered for a maximum of ten half-days, up until the film’s premiere
    • The film doesn’t need to be in Dutch or English, the use of subtitles is permitted
    • If you live in the Rotterdam region, but do not speak Dutch, feel free to submit your plan in English
    • The prize is intended for one film only 
    • Projects with budgets below the indicated €20,000 will not be taken into account
    • You can source extra funding for the film yourself 
    • If you want your film to be considered for other IFFR programmes besides RTM, your film should be submitted before the general festival submissions deadline at the end of September 2025. General terms and conditions for festival submissions apply

If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected].

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