The Rotterdam International Film Festival recognized the winners of its industry awards on Wednesday after six days of intensive activity in the Dutch city. The awards covered all sectors of the festival’s industry sector, including CineMart, Darkroom, Lightroom and Safe Harbor, benefiting projects at all stages of development. Award-winning films include “Les Daughters of the Sea,” directed by Martica Ramírez Escobar, director of “Leonor Will Never Die,” and “Neon Phantom,” directed by Leonardo Martinelli, director of “Samba Infinito.”
“The breadth and evolution of this year’s program truly reflects our commitment to meeting the changing needs of filmmakers,” said Marten Labarz, head of IFFR Pro, in a statement, highlighting the importance of this year’s new initiatives such as Safe Harbor, Cinemart x HBF and Lightroom.
“Tonight, we were honored to be able to come together to celebrate all the market projects, including the winners, as each of them has gained remarkable momentum over the last few days. And we were able to complete another edition of the powerful IFFR Pro that sparked connections, unlocked new partnerships, and brought projects closer to on-screen and beyond,” he added.
The creation of a new major initiative was one of several key topics discussed by industry participants on the ground. Below, Variety has compiled some of the top stories from this year’s IFFR Pro, as well as a complete list of winners.
The Trump effect: US indies return to Rotterdam
In an interview with Variety ahead of the festival, Loverts emphasized that one of his key priorities for this year and the coming years is to restore IFFR Pro’s relationship with the U.S. indie scene. This is a decision based not only on market needs, but also on observing how some American filmmakers are facing a different, but still present, displacement under the Trump administration. Mr. Loverts talked about how “Watermelon Girl” director Cheryl Danney had to come to Rotterdam last year because she “couldn’t find support for her next project in the United States.”
In an interview with Variety, Gymnast director Charlotte Glynn talked about how the current sociopolitical turmoil in the United States makes it important for American films to have space at film festivals like Rotterdam. She praised the international team, which included talent from Mexico, Brazil and China. “This group of people from all over the world all helped shape this film, and I’m so grateful that their respective perspectives deepened the story I wanted to tell. The reality is that many of my amazing collaborators right now in America may not have been able to come to the premiere because they don’t feel safe due to the viciousness and violence of the current administration, which makes the premiere in Rotterdam even more special.”
James N. Kienitz Wilkins, who played “The Misconceived” at Harbor, offered a more industry-focused perspective. “I recently heard from a well-known programmer in the United States that he has to go to Sundance, but is always keeping an eye on Rotterdam to see what’s really going on.”
“Gymnast” (provided by IFFR)
Provided by visit film
Evacuation crisis: flexibility is key
This year’s festival kicked off with the world premiere of the first batch of films produced by Cate Blanchett’s Displacement Film Fund, including new films from Mohammad Rasoulof (The Sacred Fig Seed) and Marina El Gorbak (Klondike). In less than a year, the festival announced the initiative, formed a selection committee, selected grantees, allocated funds, screened six new films, and recently concluded its efforts by announcing its second round of grants.
Throughout my professional career, there was a general feeling of “How did they pull it off?” A festival fundraiser told Variety on condition of anonymity that he was “in awe” that HBF was able to arrange and distribute the grants in time for the film’s production on such a tight schedule, while benefiting from private funding from major partners like Uniqlo for the initiative. “We are very interested to see how this becomes a practical example for other similar funds,” they added.
HBF head Tamara Tatishvili told Variety that agility is “key” to making the initiative a reality. “One of the strengths of a fund like ours and our ecosystem is that we can be more flexible than a lot of other funders. Some of those films wouldn’t be able to be made where the legal framework was more important. We had to be very nimble.”
Will Rotterdam be able to find the Park Chan-wook of Southeast Asia?
Rotterdam has a long history of supporting and platforming filmmakers from Southeast Asia, with a recent focus on Indonesia and Malaysia. However, a more recent development is that the festival has become a fruitful connection point for fostering co-production between countries in the region. EST N8 sales representative Sophie See told Variety that Rotterdam remains important in facilitating such deals and “educating” Southeast Asian producers on the importance of international recognition.
“Many producers in the region don’t see the value of why they need international reach,” she added. “But if you look at the development of Korean cinema, it took years of active efforts. Southeast Asia doesn’t have a Park Chan-wook yet, but we need to invest in the idea. Korea has proven that Asian content can impact the whole world. So that should give us hope and encourage producers from both countries to educate producers internationally. Rotterdam is the perfect place to make this happen.”
They’re still here: Brazil will be stronger
From the sold-out Career Conversation with Kleber Mendonça Filho on the festival’s first weekend to the sold-out screening of Tiago Melo’s Yellow Cake, the Brazilian presence was evident at this year’s festival. In the market, that trend has been strengthened tenfold thanks to HBF+Brazil, which is offered in partnership with RioFilme, Spcine and Projeto Paradiso and is dedicated to supporting the early development of projects by Brazil’s second and third-tier filmmakers.
Projeto Paradiso executive director Josephine Bourgois said the team left Rotterdam feeling that the festival marked a “very special year” for Brazil. The executive highlighted not only the strong Brazilian presence in all festivals and professional programs, but also the 40-member local delegation, including more than a dozen members of Projeto Paradiso’s own talent network. “It underlines a sense of continuity, but also of new partnerships that are becoming increasingly ambitious with projects like HBF+Brazil.”
“Yellow cake” (provided by IFFR)
Courtesy of Gilvan Barreto
All IFFR Pro 2026 winners:
4DR Studio Award
4DR Studio Award for Best Immersive Project in Development:
Director of “Chemin des Batards”. Written by Leon Rogissart, produced by BNA-BBOT, UpscaleXR, Muziektheater Transparant (Belgium, Netherlands)
4DR Studios Award for Best Immersive work-in-progress in Lightroom:
Director of “Cleo”. Coco Chen, produced by Jolene Hsiao and Tsun Shuang Ye (Taiwan)
Artekino International Award:
Director of “The Poet’s Son.” Nicolas Graux, produced by Alice Antoine, Joseph Rouschop, Rebecca Houzel, Natalia Drozd (Belgium, France, Germany)
Eurimages New Lab Award
Innovation Award:
Director of “Daughters of the Sea”. Produced by Martica Ramírez Escobar, Monster Jimenez and Rajiv Idnan (Philippines, Spain)
Outreach Award:
Director of “LFD Hope”. Produced by Joshua Loftin, Balint Revesz and Anna Vághy (UK, Hungary)
filmmore award
Filmmore In-Production Post Production Award:
“The Hummingbird Paints a Song of Fragrances”, Elia Gasul Barrada, directed by Matteo Norzi, produced by Maria Altamirano (Peru, USA, Spain, Chile)
Film More Post Production Award:
Director of “Pale Faces”. Produced by Chantel Clark, Cait Pansegrow and Frank Hoeve (Netherlands, South Africa)
HBF Empowerment Award
“Marina”, director. Lais Santos Araujo and Petrus Tibucio, produced by Pedro Krull (Brazil)
HBF x PUBLIKUM Audience Outreach Award
Director of “Kumba”. Mamadou Dia, produced by Eugenie Michel Villette (Senegal, France)
new impulse award
Director of “Hidden Journey”. Noura Adil (Sudan)
VIPO Award
Director of “Neon Phantom”. Produced by Leonardo Martinelli, Felipe M. Braganza and Marina Meliande (Brazil)
