{"id":213318,"date":"2025-11-27T15:09:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T14:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/?p=213318"},"modified":"2025-12-08T17:55:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T16:55:51","slug":"blog-cinemart-selection-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/blog-cinemart-selection-2026","title":{"rendered":"CineMart and Darkroom selections unveiled with new strand for Hubert Bals Fund projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

IFFR Pro has unveiled its selection of 21 feature projects for the 43rd edition of CineMart <\/strong>\u2013 IFFR\u2019s co-production market, <\/strong>running Sunday 1 to Wednesday 4 February during IFFR 2026, as well as 10 projects for its work-in-progress platform Darkroom. <\/p>\n\n\n

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CineMart x HBF<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New for 2026, six of the <\/strong>CineMart titles have been selected for the inaugural CineMart x HBF lineup \u2013 a curated strand of projects previously awarded Development Support by IFFR\u2019s Hubert Bals Fund. The CineMart x HBF projects were carefully selected from the many HBF-supported titles submitted with the same rigorous process applied to all CineMart submissions \u2013 formalising a longstanding connection that brings these projects to the market each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing Lightroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s immersive media projects will be presented under Lightroom: IFFR\u2019s new industry platform for immersive storytelling. Lightroom <\/strong>brings together all XR, VR and interactive projects previously presented across CineMart <\/strong>and Darkroom, creating one unified space for immersive work. Designed in close collaboration with the festival\u2019s Art Directions programme and hosted at Katoenhuis, Lightroom strengthens IFFR\u2019s long-running commitment to innovative audiovisual formats by offering a clearer pathway for development, visibility and exchange.

Ellen Kuo, formerly of NewImages Festival and manager and curator at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, joins IFFR Pro as special consultant for Lightroom, working closely with IFFR\u2019s Eva Langerak, who oversees both Art Directions and Lightroom. The full selection of Lightroom projects will be announced in December, alongside further details of a dedicated symposium on the future of immersive storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, these developments reflect the continued evolution of IFFR Pro, strengthening the festival\u2019s commitment towards alumni and the pathways that connect artistic development, co-production, financing and new forms of audiovisual storytelling across the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/strong>From stories grappling with war and displacement to narratives exploring climate change, queerness and the struggle to define and preserve identities in turbulent times.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Marten Rabarts, Head of IFFR Pro:<\/strong> “Balancing breakthrough talent and celebrated auteurs at the height of their careers, this year\u2019s selections underline CineMart\u2019s role as a place where discovery and established filmmaking meet. The urgency is palpable: from stories grappling with war and displacement to narratives exploring climate change, queerness and the struggle to define and preserve identities in turbulent times, all amongst bold cinematic creativity and forays into genres including sci-fi, horror and musical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside these selections, we are pleased to introduce two important developments that strengthen the overall structure of IFFR Pro and deepen CineMart’s connections across the festival’s ecosystem. Our CineMart x HBF strand of six exceptional projects brings our development and co-production activities into closer dialogue, while Lightroom creates a clear home for immersive storytelling within the festival. Together they build on what has long existed within IFFR and bring greater cohesion to the ways we support filmmakers and artists at different stages of their journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: Neon Phantom<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Darkroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

IFFR Pro’s Darkroom<\/strong> offers a platform to present recently or nearly completed films to the international industry seeking gap or completion funding, sales agents and festivals with the support of expert consultancy. Each project has either an attached Rotterdam Lab graduate producer or received previous support from CineMart or the Hubert Bals Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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