Simon Field, who passed away on July 16 at the age of eighty after a short illness, led the IFFR between 1997 and 2004, during which attendance grew from 215,000 to 350,000 thanks in part to the collaboration with Pathé. He introduced program elements such as 'Exploding Cinema' and 'Cinema Regained', while keeping the festival true to its artistic roots by programming Asian cinema and films from Africa and Latin America. After Rotterdam, he became a producer at Illuminations Films, where he collaborated with Apichatpong Weerasethakul until his death on films such as Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Memoria, and the forthcoming Jenjira's Magnificent Dream.