Editor

The International Film Festival Rotterdam announced today it is bringing the successful interactive installation "Home Movie Factory" by French filmmaker Michel Gondry to the Netherlands. Following the example of Jack Black and Mos Def in Gondry's film BE KIND, REWIND (2008), the installation gives participants the opportunity and resources to make a short film in under three hours. Gondry will open the installation in Rotterdam on 26 January 2012 and it will run until 5 March 2012.

Participation in the Home Movie Factory is free, and requires no special training or knowledge. Ready-to-use film sets and equipment make an infinite number of storylines possible. Each small group of participants gets to work independently and has creative control over all aspects of the project, including the genre and title of their film, the script, and the acting and actual filming. After three hours, participants are able to see a screening of their film and are given DVD copies of the final product. Each film is also available to watch in the video store for all visitors upon request.

Gondry created the Home Movie Factory upon the idea that filmmaker creativity should be cultivated and shared as much as possible. After many successful runs in New York, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Paris last winter, Rotterdam will be the first of these Factories to be featured in an official film festival.

The International Film Festival Rotterdam not only showcases films, but actively supports filmmakers in the realization and financing of their films through its Hubert Bals Fund and CineMart. The IFFR also involves its audiences in its activities in increasingly interactive ways. During IFFR 2012, the Home Movie Factory will bring another exciting interactive component to the festival. Gondry will be calling on groups from select educational establishments and social programs to take part in the project, giving aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to experience the movie industry first-hand.

Michel Gondry will be attending the opening of the Home Movie Factory on Thursday, January 26 2012 during the IFFR in the exhibition space Roodkapje ROTTTERDAM, Meent 119-133 in Rotterdam. During the festival period the opening hours are 11 am - 6 pm daily. After the festival, the Home Movie Factory will remain open through March, 4 2012; Wednesday to Friday from 11 am - 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5 pm. Participation is free, but the number of participants per session is limited. If you are interested, please register in advance - groups of 5 to 15 people can also register, from 6 December 2011 at www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/homemoviefactory.

Feature film, commercial, and award-winning music video director Michel Gondry most recently released Columbia Pictures' THE GREEN HORNET (2011), and his Home Movie Factory kicked off at Paris' modern art museum, the Centre Pompidou, this February. Currently, Gondry is in post-production on his next film THE WE AND THE I, as well as preparing the French L'ÉCUME DES JOURS (FOAM OF THE DAZE), based on the eponymous novel by Boris Vian. Gondry is also working on an adaptation of UBIK, sci-fi author Philip K. Dick's acclaimed novel about a world populated by mind readers.

Gondry's previous repertoire of work includes THE THORN IN THE HEART (2010), and BE KIND, REWIND (2008), which he wrote and directed, which led to his debut book, You'll Like This Film Because You're In It: The BE KIND REWIND Protocol. Prior, Gondry released THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (2006), Dave Chappelle's BLOCK PARTY (2005), the much-lauded ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004), and HUMAN NATURE (2002).

Gondry is also a highly regarded and award-winning commercial and music video director. He directed Björk's "Human Behavior," which won a slew of awards, and has collaborated with The White Stripes, The Rolling Stones, Beck, Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Cibo Matto, Kylie Minogue, Kanye West, Gary Jules, and Paul McCartney.

The Home Movie Factory in Rotterdam was made possible thanks to a contribution from the Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds.