Rotterdam Film Festival To Open With Mads Mikkelsen Movie ‘Riders Of Justice’
The Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR) has unveiled the line-up for its 50th edition, with the Mads Mikkelsen-starring Riders Of Justice set to open the fest.
You can see the full line-up below. The event has had to change its traditional format for 2021 due to ongoing pandemic disruption. It will now run as a two-stage event, initially with a hybrid showcase of films February 1-7, followed by a physical event June 2-6.
The flagship Tiger Competition has confirmed 16 titles, 14 of which are world premieres. There are a further 15 titles in the Big Screen competition, which looks to bridge the gap between popular and arthouse cinema, while the non-competitive Limelight section will feature 13 titles, most of which have played other festivals, such as Magnus von Horn’s Sweat and Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida?.
Anders Thomas Jensen’s dark comedy Riders Of Justice will be having its international premiere after being released in its native Denmark in November. The movie stars Mikkelsen as Markus, who has to go home to his teenage daughter, Mathilde, when his wife dies in a tragic train accident. It seems like an accident until a mathematics geek, who was also a fellow passenger on the train, and his two colleagues show up saying they are convinced someone is behind it.
Films will be available online in the Netherlands, alongside press and industry screenings. The February program will also feature talks with Kelly Reichardt, Charlotte Gainsbourg and more. The event will have an awards ceremony on February 7. Further announcements for the rest of the fest’s activities in 2021 will follow.
“In a year like no other, filmmakers have gone above and beyond to complete works in challenging circumstances, and there has been no shortage of great films looking for a home at IFFR,” said IFFR director Vanja Kaludjercic. “This edition’s revised Tiger Competition and Big Screen Competition, as well as the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition, encapsulate IFFR’s spirit as a platform for the discovery of visions that pique our curiosity and capture our imagination. The sheer determination of these striking new voices is exhilarating, and I’m proud that we can bring an outstanding selection to our film-loving audiences in new ways that captivate the collective spirit.”
Here’s the full IFFR 2021 line-up.
Tiger Competition 2021 selection
Agate mousse, Selim Mourad, 2021, Lebanon, world premiere
Bebia, à mon seul désir, Juja Dobrachkous, 2021, Georgia/UK, world premiere
Bipolar, Queena Li, 2021, China, world premiere
Black Medusa, ismaël, Youssef Chebbi, 2021, Tunisia, world premiere
A Corsican Summer, Pascal Tagnati, 2021, France, world premiere
The Edge of Daybreak, Taiki Sakpisit, 2021, Thailand/Switzerland, world premiere
Feast, Tim Leyendekker, 2021, Netherlands, world premiere
Friends and Strangers, James Vaughan, 2021, Australia, world premiere
Gritt, Itonje Søimer Guttormsen, 2020, Norway, international premiere
Landscapes of Resistance, Marta Popivoda, 2020, Serbia/Germany/France, world premiere
Liborio, Nino Martínez Sosa, 2021, Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico/Qatar, world premiere
Looking for Venera, Norika Sefa, 2021, Kosovo/Macedonia, world premiere
Madalena, Madiano Marcheti, 2021, Brazil, world premiere
Mayday, Karen Cinorre, 2021, USA, international premiere
Mighty Flash, Ainhoa Rodríguez, 2021, Spain, world premiere
Pebbles, Vinothraj P.S., 2021, India, world premiere
Big Screen Competition 2021 selection
Archipel, Félix Dufour-Laperrière, 2021, Canada, world premiere
Aristocrats, Sode Yukiko, 2020, Japan, international premiere
As We Like It, Chen Hung-i & Muni Wei, 2021, Taiwan, world premiere
Aurora, Paz Fábrega, 2021, Costa Rica/Mexico, world premiere
Carro Rei, Renata Pinheiro, 2021, Brazil, world premiere
The Cemil Show, Bariş Sarhan, 2021, Turkey, world premiere
Drifting, Li Jun, 2021, Hong Kong, world premiere
The Harbour, Rajeev Ravi, 2021, India, world premiere
The Last Farmer, M. Manikandan, 2021, India, world premiere
Lone Wolf, Jonathan Ogilvie, 2021, Australia, world premiere
The North Wind, Renata Litvinova, 2021, Russia, world premiere
El perro que no calla, Ana Katz, 2020, Argentina, European premiere
Sexual Drive, Yoshida Kota, 2021, Japan, world premiere
Les Sorcières de l’Orient, Julien Faraut, 2021, France, world premiere
The Year Before the War, Dāvis Sīmanis, 2021, Latvia, world premiere
Limelight selection
Beginning, Dea Kulumbegashvili, France/Georgia, 2020, Dutch premiere
Dead & Beautiful, David Verbeek, Netherlands, 2021, world premiere
Dear Comrades!, Andrei Konchalovsky, Russia, 2020, Dutch premiere
First Cow, Kelly Reichardt, USA, 2020, Dutch premiere
Mandibules, Quentin Dupieux, France, 2020, Dutch premiere
Mitra, Kaweh Modiri, Netherlands, 2021, world premiere
La nuit des rois, Philippe Lacôte, France/Côte d’Ivoire/Canada, 2020, Dutch premiere
Quo vadis, Aida?, Jasmila Žbanić, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2020, Dutch premiere
Riders of Justice, Anders Thomas Jensen, Denmark, 2020, international premiere
Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, Sammo Hung/Ann Hui/Patrick Tam/YuenWoo-ping/Johnnie To/Ringo Lam/Tsui Hark, Hong Kong/China, 2020, Dutch premiere
Shorta, Anders Ølholm/Frederik Louis Hviid, Denmark, 2020, international premiere
Suzanna Andler, Benoît Jacquot, France, 2020, international premiere
Sweat, Magnus von Horn, Poland, 2020, international premiere
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