What is IFFR?

IFFR is a leading international film festival with a year-round programme dedicated to supporting new and adventurous filmmaking talent from around the world. With the 54th edition of International Film Festival Rotterdam just around the corner, taking place from January 30 to February 9, the city of Rotterdam will once again come alive as a destination for film lovers and professionals alike.

Over 11 days, cinema will become Rotterdam’s beating heart. Filmmakers from all over the world join IFFR to present their creations in cinemas throughout the city, across numerous programmes, and not only in the screening rooms but outside as well – in galleries, exhibition spaces and unexpected locations. Film professionals and emerging talent will join IFFR to advance their projects and careers, and the city’s school children will be engaged in a programme of film education.

Get your Ticket to IFFR 2025 - Tickets go on sale on 16 January! 

Attending IFFR 2025

Attending International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025 means:

• Discovering cinematic highlights within an amazing lineup of more than 500 carefully curated and selected cutting-edge films and artworks to see on one of Rotterdam's many cinema screens before they are released in cinemas. The full programme just went live. Click here to get access to all films.
• Attending talks by award-winning filmmakers, actors and other big names from the film industry. Did you know that this year Cate Blanchett is one of the special guests? Click here to find out more.
• Experiencing the festival spirit – Rotterdam will be alive with visitors enjoying IFFR's special events and parties. Want to make the most out of your festival experience? Check the special events and more here.
• Meeting and connecting with new people – during the festival week IFFR brings together people from all backgrounds through screenings, talks, exhibitions and education.

Introducing IFFRs Art Directions programme 2025

This year, IFFR is partnering with Katoenhuis and other cultural institutions for the 2025 edition of its Art Directions programme - the space where the festival steps out of the screening room and pushes the boundaries of what cinema can be with immersive works by multidisciplinary creators. Located in M4H's emerging Keile cultural district, Katoenhuis is set to become a leading hub for immersive art and technology.

As the new home of the Art Directions strand, this year's edition will feature four installations next to two immersive media works that invite audiences to get involved in transformative experiences that combine tradition, technology and storytelling in groundbreaking ways. The four installations in the Katoenhuis include:

• La Quema (del planeta 'B') is a reflection on colonialism, based on the Ecuadorian tradition of the "año viejo", in which a replica of the VOC ship Amsterdam is burned.
• Basir Mahmood’s Brown Bodies in an Open Landscape are Often Migrating addresses the gap between the migrant experience and the way media portray it.
• In Alice, Bob, Carol and David, Victor Timofeev combines film and gaming with choreography to reflect on randomness and control.
• In collaboration with Tabakalera, IFFR presents Extramission: The Capture of Glowing Eyes by Jessica Sarah Rinland, which uses moving images, sound recordings and archival material to question the aesthetics and politics of surveillance technology.

The two immersive media works that will be hosted in Katoenhuis are:

• OTHERWORLDS by Sophia Bulgakova, which offers a sensory journey that blends Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) with Ukrainian traditions and pre-Christian pagan rituals. This participatory performance fuses ancient symbols, ritual songs, and modern XR technologies to explore cultural heritage and reconnect participants with nature’s cycles and the passage of time.
• Revival Roadshow by Luke Conroy and Anne Fehres, takes viewers on an absurd and playful exploration of colonial history and its modern and speculative legacies. Inspired by 17th-century Dutch coloniser Abel Tasman, this surreal roadshow combines cinema, theatre, and visual art to present a humorous yet reflective take on complex historical narratives.

Art Directions at Katoenhuis will be ticketed, while select parts of the overall programme will be accessible for free. Click here to buy your tickets.

Other highlights this year include the return of the sound//vision programme at WORM. This will be the first time IFFR and WORM have fully curated a programme in collaboration. In collaboration with International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025, Brutus Space will offer a series of audiovisual live performances that merge music with film, celluloid and light.

Buy your tickets now

Don't wait for it to sell out - tickets go on sale January 16 so mark your calendars now! Check out all Specials here and get your tickets!