"Apparently, in many ways, my fingerprints fit into the fingerprints which were already in place", says new festival director Simon Field, hoping to maintain "the spirit of Rotterdam." Jrn Rossing Jensen reports.
Leaving his job as Director of Cinema at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), and deciding with his wife that they now live in two different countries, Simon Field took to a crash landing last year, arriving at Rotterdam to take over from Emile Fallaux as head of the International Film Festival.
"Although I had expected some of it, I was greatly surprised discovering how the festival works. And it has been a continuing pleasure to work with everyone here, and experience their openness to somebody from abroad," he said.
Resurgence of European directors
"60% of the screenings will take place at the new Pathe multiplex, so obviously the centre of the festival will slightly change, with box office, talk shows and late night discos scheduled at the Shouwburg. Yet we hope to keep up the friendliness and the intimacy of Rotterdam."
"We have maintained the principles in programming the different sections, with the main selection as the heart of the festival, and the sidebars - such as the Golden Harvest Retrospective - as our comments to the state of world cinema."
"We have been lucky this year by the resurgence of European directors - most evident in France - and with a strong representation of US independents, with such films as Basquiat, Lone Star, Trees Lounge, and Unhook the Stars.
"The presence of major stars from Asia - Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung - confirms the international impact. And obviously I am pleased with the British-Dutch connection, including Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book, The Bridge Celebration and his initiation of Exploding Cinema."
New distribution support initiative
"There is an unusual variation in the VPRO Tiger Award Competition, and no less than three world premieres in the Hubert Bals Fund section, all reflecting the diverse range of films which is essentially the spirit of Rotterdam."
"Fake - the phenomenon of mockumentary - is a playful addition to the programme, and in Exploding Cinema we explore how film begins to dissolve into other media and delivery systems, or is experienced in connection with visual arts or the context of sound."
"Several entries have already been picked up by sales companies, and to further help new productions to take off for the international markets from Rotterdam, we have signed Francine Brucher - an experienced market organiser - to liaise sellers with buyers."
"For the first time a special DFL 150,000 grants from the Culture Ministry will enable the festival to itself purchase films for Dutch distribution, or to make sure that important titles are distributed more widely," Field concluded.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam expects record audiences for its 26th edition, including a total of 210 full-length films and 140 shorts, which unspool at more than 1,000 screenings in 15 auditoria. Before box office opened, pre-bookings were up by 10%, to reach in excess of 50,000, and the special showcases programmed by de Volkskrant and pubcaster VPRO the were sold out earlier than usual.
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