HAPPENING 29 JAN–8 FEB 2026 | International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is one of the biggest film events in the Netherlands, bringing independent cinema, film art and industry professionals together in the heart of Rotterdam.
About International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)
International Film Festival Rotterdam has been running since 1972. What started as the small-scale Film International, with just seventeen people attending the very first opening night, has grown into a major hub for adventurous cinema. In recent years the festival has attracted around 300,000 visits, with the 54th edition in 2025 drawing more than 296,000 visits for 482 films from 94 countries.
IFFR focuses strongly on new and independent work: fiction and documentary features, short and mid-length films, immersive projects and moving-image installations. The festival is known for giving space to emerging voices as well as established auteurs, with a particular interest in experimental storytelling and media art.
To support that mission, IFFR runs several industry programmes and funds. The Hubert Bals Fund helps filmmakers from regions with limited film financing to develop and produce bold projects. CineMart, the co-production market, matches new film projects with potential partners and financiers, while Rotterdam Lab offers early-career producers a week of training and networking during the festival. Together with IFFR Pro and year-round initiatives, these programmes make Rotterdam an influential meeting point for the international film world.
IFFR 2025 in brief
The 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam took place from 30 January to 9 February 2025.
The festival opened with *Fabula*, a Dutch crime comedy by Michiel ten Horn that mixes folklore, fantasy and magical realism. The closing film was *This City Is a Battlefield*, an Indonesian historical drama by Mouly Surya that had its world premiere at the festival.
IFFR 2025 presented 482 films from 94 countries, alongside immersive installations, talks and special events. Across eleven days, more than 296,000 visits were registered at venues including Pathé Schouwburgplein, KINO, LantarenVenster, De Doelen, Theater Rotterdam and other cinemas and cultural spaces across the city.
Competitions in 2025
Tiger Competition
IFFR’s flagship competition for emerging filmmakers. In 2025, fourteen titles were selected, all having their world premiere in Rotterdam. The Tiger Award and Special Jury Awards highlight formally daring and original debut or second features.
Big Screen Competition
A selection of fourteen films that bridge arthouse and more accessible cinema. The Big Screen Award supports the winning film’s release in Dutch cinemas, with prize money for the filmmakers and an incentive for the local distributor.
Tiger Short Competition (Ammodo Tiger Short Competition)
Twenty short and mid-length works from around the world competed for three equal Tiger Short Awards. This strand is known for its experimental approach to form, sound and storytelling.
Special programmes in 2025
Cinema Regained
A section devoted to film heritage, restored classics and documentaries about cinema and its history. Screenings often come with introductions or talks by critics, archivists or filmmakers.
Art Directions
IFFR’s platform for immersive and cross-disciplinary work, where cinema spills out of the auditorium into galleries, urban spaces and performances. Virtual reality projects, installations and city walks linked film, visual art, music and technology, including collaborations at locations such as Katoenhuis.
Focus programmes
The festival regularly shines a light on particular regions, themes or filmmakers through curated strands. Recent editions have explored everything from local Rotterdam talent to global political shifts through cinema.
Looking ahead: IFFR 2026
The 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam takes place from **29 January to 8 February 2026**. The festival will once again use cinemas and cultural spaces across the city, with a programme that mixes world premieres, rediscovered classics, talks and installations.
Key 2026 dates:
Festival: 29 January - 8 February 2026
IFFR Pro Days: 30 January - 4 February 2026
CineMart (including Darkroom works-in-progress): 1 - 4 February 2026
Early announcements for IFFR 2026 include:
- A focus on the Japanese direct-to-video phenomenon known as V-Cinema.
- A retrospective dedicated to Egyptian director Marwan Hamed.
- The Robby Müller Award for cinematography, which in 2026 will be presented to Yorick Le Saux.
- The continuation of the Displacement Film Fund, launched at IFFR 2025 with UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett and the Hubert Bals Fund, supporting short films by displaced filmmakers or filmmakers working on stories of displacement.
The full screening schedule is published in January, with an A-Z overview and daily timetables on the official IFFR website.
Industry and networking
IFFR is also a busy meeting place for professionals:
IFFR Pro Days bring together filmmakers, producers, sales agents, distributors and festival programmers for talks, panels, one-to-one meetings and informal networking. CineMart is one of Europe’s best-known co-production markets, where selected projects are presented to potential partners. The market now includes the Darkroom strand for works in progress. Rotterdam Lab offers early-career producers five intensive days of training and industry insight, with participants nominated by partner organisations around the world. Across the festival, additional lab programmes, round-tables and case studies focus on creative producing, financing strategies, sustainability and the challenges of making independent cinema today.
Practical info
IFFR uses venues across central Rotterdam, most of them within walking distance of Rotterdam Centraal or station Blaak. Screenings typically run from morning to late evening throughout the festival.
Tickets are sold online through the IFFR site, with a mix of single tickets, passes and special deals for students and young audiences. Popular screenings and festival specials tend to sell out early, so it is worth booking ahead once the programme is announced.
For the latest information on tickets, programme updates and venue details, visit the official IFFR website.
How to get tickets to IFFR
Tickets for International Film Festival Rotterdam are sold through the official IFFR website. To buy tickets you first create a personal account, which lets you save favourites, build a schedule and manage your bookings in one place.
The full programme and screening times go online in January. From that moment you can browse by date, venue, section or country, then book directly via the online timetable or the A to Z film overview. Popular premieres, talks and special events often sell out quickly, so it pays to decide early once the schedule is live.
IFFR offers regular tickets, festival passes and a range of discounts for students and young audiences. You receive your tickets digitally and they are scanned at the door, which makes it easy to keep everything on your phone. If you prefer to decide on the day, last minute tickets are often released shortly before a screening starts, subject to availability.
Where films are screened
IFFR spreads out across central Rotterdam, so the city itself becomes part of the festival experience. Most venues are within walking distance or a short tram ride from Rotterdam Centraal and Blaak, which makes it easy to move between screenings.
Core cinemas include Pathé Schouwburgplein, KINO, LantarenVenster, Theater Rotterdam, WORM and Cinerama. Larger premieres and talks often take place in De Doelen, which also hosts industry events and festival hubs. In recent editions, sites such as Katoenhuis and other cultural spaces have joined the line-up with installations, performances and Art Directions projects.
Each venue has its own character, from multiplex screens to intimate arthouse rooms and rawer experimental spaces. The mix reflects the festival itself: accessible, international and firmly rooted in Rotterdam’s cultural life.
First time at IFFR?
First-time visitors sometimes try to pack in as many screenings as possible. A smarter approach is to leave gaps between films, build in time for queues and travel, and allow space to talk about what you have seen. The programme is dense, and the days can be long, so a short break in a café or festival hub can make a big difference.
When browsing the schedule, check the language of dialogue and subtitles, as well as the venue location. A good mix might combine one or two accessible crowd-pleasers with a bolder choice from Tiger Competition, Cinema Regained or an Art Directions installation. The IFFR website provides filters and curator picks that help you navigate the line-up if you are unsure where to start.
If you want a taste of the festival atmosphere without a full day of screenings, consider booking a single premiere, a themed short film programme or an event in one of the galleries. You will still get the energy of IFFR while keeping things simple.
