Overview of Dutch and Flemish films in Rotterdam:

Towards West (2010)
Claire is a sweetheart who lets people walk all over her easily. Her ex, in particular, has a knack for that. Together with her young son, she tries to make the best of her life as a divorced woman. She zips from place to place on her bike. And then, suddenly, he appears: a very nice man who takes a liking to Claire. They cycle together towards the West. But whether they will actually go through life together...

Carmen of the North (2009)
Partly based on Bizet's famous opera, but now largely held together by the hip-hop sounds of Perquisite. Jelle Nesna's police thriller tells the story of detective Joz (Tygo Gernandt) who falls for the charms of prostitute Carmen, losing sight of himself in the process. The film was shot in Rotterdam, and the cast and crew consisted largely of newcomers to the film world.

Reykjavik-Rotterdam (2008)
This highly entertaining film is about security guard Kristofer, who isn't quite bringing in enough money. He decides to participate in one last mega-smuggling operation and signs on to a container ship sailing from Reykjavik to Rotterdam. But things go wrong there; he encounters a crazy hustler. A Hollywood remake is in the works, titled Contraband, starring Mark Wahlberg.

Skin (2008)
Hanro Smitsman made this (tele)film about 17-year-old Frankie (Robert de Hoog), who joins a group of skinheads. Frankie is filled with anger and grief due to the death of his mother and the rift between him and his father (true Rotterdammer John Buijsman), who is traumatized by the war. Filming largely took place in Rotterdam-South. For De Hoog, Skin marked a breakthrough; for instance, he was cast as a German soldier in Steven Spielberg's latest film, War Horse.

Eight Flemish productions have also been selected for Rotterdam.

Lotte Stoops' documentary 'Grande Hotel' has its world premiere at the IFFR. In the film, she travels to Mozambique to see what remains of the Grande Hotel. What was once the showpiece of the Portuguese colonial regime is now a sad home for some 3,500 Mozambicans trying to survive there.

In the film festival's experimental selections, we find even more Flemish artists: 'After Empire' and 'Dear Steve' by Herman Asselberghs, 'Lobi' by Matthias De Groof and Kristin Rogghe, among others, 'Oh' by Anouk De Clercq, 'Stardust' by Nicolas Provost, 'Think About Wood, Think About Metal' by Manon de Boer, and 'Because We Are Visual', the KASK graduation project by Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes.

Especially for the festival's fortieth anniversary, a one-off prize is also being presented: the Return of The Tiger Award. A select group of former Tiger Award nominees stand a chance to win 5,000 euros with their most recent work. What makes the prize special is that the winner is chosen by the 2011 Tiger Award nominees. Koen Mortier will be returning to Rotterdam with '22 Mei' (which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival), and Alex Stockman will also be present for the return of the tiger with his latest film 'Pulsar'.



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