The 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam, was the 2021 installment of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which took place on 1–7 February 2021 and 2–6 June 2021. The first part of the edition focused on the main Tiger, Big Screen, Ammodo Tiger Short, and Limelight programmes. Whilst, the second part focused on the Harbour, Bright Future, Cinema Regained, Classics and Short and Mid-Length Film sections.
The event was presented as a hybrid event, with a film programme was available online in the Netherlands whilst physically screened in cinemas across the country.
Indian drama film, Pebbles by Vinothraj P.S., won Tiger Award, the top prize.
Juries Tiger Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Mosotho screenwriter, film director and visual artist Orwa Nyrabia, Syrian documentary film festival director Hala Elkoussy, Egyptian artist and film director Helena van der Meulen, Dutch screenwriter and film critic Ilse Hughan, Dutch film producer
Ammodo Tiger Short Anna Abrahams, audiovisual curator Amira Gad, Egyptian-French curator and writer Vincent Meessen, filmmaker
Official selections Tiger The following films were selected to compete for the Tiger Award. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Bebia, à mon seul désir Juja Dobrachkous Georgia, United Kingdom Bipolar 只是一次偶然的旅行 Queena Li China Black Medusa Ma tasmaa ken errih Ismaël, Youssef Chebbi Tunisia A Corsican Summer I Comete Pascal Tagnati France The Edge of Daybreak Phayasohk phiyohkyam Taiki Sakpisit ThailandFeast Tim Leyendekker NetherlandsFriends and Strangers James Vaughan AustraliaGritt Itonje Søimer Guttormsen Norway Landscapes of Resistance Pejzaži otpora Marta Popivoda Serbia, Germany, FranceLiborio Nino Martínez Sosa Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Qatar Looking for Venera Në kërkim të Venerës Norika Sefa Kosovo, North MacedoniaMadalena Madiano Marcheti BrazilMayday Karen Cinnore United States Mighty Flash Destello bravío Ainhoa Rodríguez Spain Moss Agate Agate mousse Selim Mourad Lebanon Pebbles Koozhangal Vinothraj P.S. India
Big Screen The following films were selected to compete for the VPRO Big Screen Award. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Archipelago Archipel Félix Dufour-Laperrière Canada Aristocrats Anoko wa kizoku Sode Yukiko Japan As We Like It Jie da huan xi Chen Hung-i, Muni Wei Taiwan Aurora Paz Fábrega Costa Rica The Cemil Show Cemil şov Bariş Sarhan Turkey The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet El perro que no calla Ana Katz Argentina Drifting Zuk seoi piu lau Jun Li Hong Kong King Car Carro Rei Renata Pinheiro Brazil The Last Farmer Kadaisi vivasayi M. Manikandan IndiaLone Wolf Jonathan Ogilvie Australia The North Wind Severnyy veter Renata Litvinova Russia Sexual Drive セクシャルドライブ Kōta Yoshida Japan The Witches of the Orient Les Sorcières de l'Orient Julien Faraut France The Year Before the War Gads pirms kara Dāvis Sīmanis Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic
Ammodo Tiger Short The following films were selected to compete for the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition. The line-up was announced on 22 December 2020. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 80000 Years Old 80000 ans Christelle Lheureux Franceearthearthearth Daïchi Saïto Canada Eating Soil Erde essen Laura Weissenberger AustriaEr is een geest van mij Mateo Vega Netherlands, Peru The Eternal Springtime Mùa xuân vĩnh cửu Việt Vũ Vietnam Flowers blooming in our throats Eva Giolo ItalyFor the Sake of Calmness Newsha Tavakolian IranHappy Valley Simon Liu Hong Kong, United StatesThe Hole's Journey Ghita Skali NetherlandsLemongrass Girl Pom Bunsermvicha ThailandLetter From Your Far-Off Country Suneil Sanzgiri United StatesLuces del desierto Félix Blume France, MexicoMaat Means Land Fox Maxy United StatesManifesto Ane Hjort Guttu NorwayPlant (879 pages, 33 days) Ruth Höflich AustraliaSunsets, everyday Basir Mahmood ItalySurviving You, Always Morgan Quaintance United KingdomTellurian Drama Riar Rizaldi IndonesiaTerranova Alejandro Pérez Serrano, Alejandro Alonso Estrella CubaTracing Utopia Catarina de Sousa, Nick Tyson Portugal, United StatesWho Is Afraid of Ideology? Part 3 Micro Resistances Marwa Arsanios GermanyThe Women's Revenge Su Hui-yu Taiwan
Art Directions The programme highlighted the expansion of cinema to installations, exhibitions and live performance. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Hangman at Home Michelle Kranot, Uri Kranot Denmark, France, Canada Image Technology Echoes Lauren Moffatt Ireland, GermanyThe Subterranean Imprint Archive Francois Knoetze, Amy Louise Wilson South AfricaTo Miss the Ending David Callanan, Anna West United Kingdom
Bright Future The programme highlighted first-feature films from promising filmmakers. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) All About My Sisters Jia ting lu xiang Wang Qiong United StatesBERG Joke Olthaar NetherlandsDamascus Dreams Émilie Serri Canada The Day Is Over Chi tang Qi Rui ChinaFaya Dayi Jessica Bashir Ethiopia, United States, Qatar The Joy of Things A felicidade das coisas Thais Fujinaga BrazilLumina Samuele Sestieri ItalyOK Computer Pooja Shetty, Neil Pagedar IndiaPhoenix Bram Droulers Belgium, United KingdomRock Bottom Riser Fern Silva United States The Son Pesar Noushin Meraji Iran The Story of Southern Islet Nan wu Chong Keat Aun Malaysia Thomas the High Jumper Thomas der Hochspringer Leri Matehha GermanyWoodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror Kier-La Janisse United States
Cinema Regained The programme offered restored classic films, documentaries on film culture and explorations of cinema's heritage. English title Original title Director(s) Year Production countrie(s) The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8 Shunji Iwai2020 Japan The Tenth of May Der 10. Mai Franz Schnyder1957 Switzerland All Other Things Equal Anya Tsyrlina2020 Russia Amos Gitaï, la violence et l'histoire Laurent Roth2021 FranceThe Amusement Park George A. Romero1975 United States Ayako Tachibana Wants to Go Viral Tachibana Ayako wa miraretai Sato Amane2020 JapanBlack Cat Tanaami Keiichi1972 Japan The Calm After the Storm Como el cielo después de llover Mercedes Gaviria2020 Colombia, ArgentinaCamila María Luisa Bemberg1984 Argentina, Spain Careless Crime Jenayat-e bi deghat Shahram Mokri2020 IranCharisma Amos Gitai1976 Israel Chess of the Wind Shatranj-e baad Mohammad Reza Aslani1976 Iran Cinephilia Now: Part 1 – Secrets Within Walls Eiga ai no genzai: Part 1 – Kabe no mukode Sasaki Yusuke2020 Japan The Crown Jewels of Iran Ganǧīneh-hāye Gouhar Ebrahim Golestan1965 Iran The Deer Gavaznhā Masoud Kimiai1974 Iran The Demon Il demonio Brunello Rondi1963 Italy, France The Dinosaur Dinosaurus Veikko Aaltonen2021 Finland The Earth Is a Sinful Song Maa on syntinen laulu Rauni Mollberg1973 Finland Everything Is Cinema Don Palathara2021 India Fat Chance Stephen Broomer2021 CanadaHands Up Mr. Rasnichi Hal Clay, Florenz Fuchs von Nordhoff1967 West GermanyHopper/Welles Orson Welles2020 United States The Living Heroes Gyvieji didvyriai Arūnas Žebriūnas, Balys Bratkauskas, Vytautas Žalakevičius, Marijonas Giedrys1959 Lithuania María Luisa Bemberg: El eco de mi voz María Luisa Bemberg: The Echo of My Voice Alejandro Maci2021 Argentina Mat Magic Mat Sentol, John Calvert1971 Singapore MÍR: Hundred Years of Revolution MÍR: Byltingin lengi lifi Haukur Hallsson2020 Iceland, Czech Republic Modern Korea – Doing Our Best the People's Network Modern Korea – Jeongseongeul da haneun gungminui bangsong Ji-sun Youm2020 South Korea Neck 'n' Neck Walt Disney1928 United States Nomads of the Sun Les nomades du soleil Henry Brandt1953 Switzerland The Philosophy of Horror – A Symphony of Film Theory A horror filozófiája Péter Lichter, Bori Máté2020 HungaryLes rendez-vous de l'été Jacques Ertaud, Raymond Zumstein1966 France Sea Palace Umi no kyūden Masaoka Kenzō1927 Japan Switzerland Ponders La Suisse s'interroge Henry Brandt1964 Switzerland Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo Tange Sazen yowa: Hyakuman ryō no tsubo Sadao Yamanaka1935 Japan There Are Not Thirty-Six Ways of Showing a Man Getting on a Horse No existen treinta y seis maneras de mostrar cómo un hombre se sube a un caballo Nicolás Zukerfeld2020 Argentina The Village Detective: a Song Cycle Bill Morrison2021 United States Vincent van Go-Go Hal Clay, Florenz Fuchs von Nordhoff1967 West Germany
Harbour The programme showcased contemporary cinema. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus Slučajna raskoš prozirnog vodenog rebusa Dalibor Barić Croatia Amor fati Cláudia Varejão Portugal, Switzerland, France The Belly of the Sea El ventre del mar Agustí Villaronga SpainBirds of America Jacques Loeuille France The Blue Danube Kimajimegakutai no Bonyarisenso Ikeda Akira Japan Bloodsuckers Blutsauger Julian Radlmaier GermanyBottled Songs 1-4 Chloé Galibert-Laîné, Kevin B. Lee Germany, France, United States Capitu and the Chapter Capitu e o capítulo Júlio Bressane Brazil Davos Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann Austria The Day Today Au jour d'aujourd'hui Maxence Stamatiadis France Death on the Streets Johan Carlsen Germany, Denmark, GreeceDecameron Rita Hui Nga Shu Hong Kong Fabian – Going to the Dogs Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde Dominik Graf Germany Fan Girl Antoinette Jadaone PhilippinesFaraway My Shadow Wandered Liao Jiekai, Sudhee Liao Singapore, Taiwan, JapanFucking with Nobody Hannaleena Hauru Finland Glossary of Non-Human Love Na manush premer kothamala Ashish Avikunthak India Homeless Hom-li-seu Lim Seung-hyeun South Korea Hotel on the Koppies Hotele Lerallaneng Charlie Vundla South Africa Lutar, lutar, lutar Sérgio Borges, Helvécio Marins Jr. BrazilA Man and a Camera Guido Hendrikx Netherlands Minamata Mandala Hara Kazuo Japan My Name Is Francesco Totti Mi chiamo Francesco Totti Alex Infascelli ItalyNudo Mixteco Ángeles Cruz MexicoOnly the Winds Karim Kassem Lebanon, United States Persona Non Grata Hvor kragerne vender Lisa Jespersen Denmark Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché Celeste Bell, Paul Sng United Kingdom, India, United StatesPoupelle of Chimney Town Entotsu Machi no Poupelle Hirota Yusuke Japan The Rain Falls Where It Will Abr baranash gerefteh Majid Barzegar Iran, CanadaScarecrow Pugalo Dmitry Davydov Russia Self-Portrait 2020 Lee Dong-wook South Korea A Song for You Ta yu luo ye dai er Dukar Tserang ChinaTime Ricky Ko Hong Kong An Unusual Summer Kamal Aljafari Palestine The World to Come Mona Fastvold United States
Limelight The programme showcased cinematic highlights of film festival favourites and international award-winners. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Beginning Dasatskisi Dea Kulumbegashvili France, GeorgiaDead & Beautiful David Verbeek Netherlands, Taiwan Dear Comrades! Dorogie tovarischi! Andrei Konchalovsky RussiaFirst Cow Kelly Reichardt United StatesMandibles Mandibules Quentin Dupieux FranceMitra Kaweh Modiri Netherlands, Germany, Denmark Night of the Kings La nuit des rois Philippe Lacôte France, Côte d'Ivoire, CanadaQuo Vadis, Aida? Jasmila Žbanić Bosnia and HerzegovinaRiders of JusticeRetfærdighedens ryttereAnders Thomas JensenDenmarkShorta Anders Ølholm, Frederik Louis Hviid DenmarkSuzanna Andler Benoît Jacquot FranceSweat Magnus von Horn Poland
Short & Mid-length The programmes highlighted mid-length films and short films.