35th International Film Festival Rotterdam: Preview
25 January – 5 February 2006

Looming above downtown Rotterdam is a building faintly reminiscent of the Citadel in Half Life 2. A strange connection to make perhaps as one tramps between cinemas at a renowned European film festival such as Rotterdam. Architecture plays an important role at a film festival spaced out over several venues especially upon one’s first visit to a city. Emerging bleary eyed from the latest cinematic diamond or disaster landmarks beckon - sometimes reassuringly, sometimes not, anchoring a film festival to a location. Whatever you may have just seen, some constants remain outside carved in stone and concrete giving a film festival a character that no amount of skilful programming can ever create. I’ve yet to visit Venice for example, so what kind of effect could the look of that historic city have upon any films you might watch there? A positive one I don’t doubt. The thought process starts to become amusing though when I recall that to my eyes Rotterdam initially resembled Harlow or Stevenage, exemplar English post-war towns sculpted from concrete for the London population overspill. Stevenage was allegedly tidied up for the filming of Boston Kickout. Rotterdam ain’t Stevenage.

And to the films. The Rotterdam International Film Festival 2006 has 53 world, 19 international and 20 European premieres. As in previous years the heart of the festival is the VPRO Tiger Awards, a competition between 14 films by first or second time directors for three equal prizes. Last year’s winners were the rather excellent 4, The Sky Turns (El Cielo Gira) and Changing Destiny (Nemmeno il destino). As previously the regular sections Sturm und Drang, Maestros: Kings and Aces and Time and Tide flesh out the programme respectively by featuring young filmmakers, more established talents and works that commentate upon the world in some fashion.

The 2006 Filmmakers in Focus, whose work receives a retrospective examination, are Stephen Dwoskin and Nagasaki Shunichi. Stephen Dwoskin, a London based avant-garde filmmaker and author of the book ‘Film Is’ will see the world premiere of his latest Oblivion. Nagasaki Shunichi, a Japanese filmmaker, opens the festival with Heart Beating in the Dark, a re-make, sequel and ‘making of’ his (8 mm) classic from 1982.

Of interest elsewhere in the programme are the White Light and Vita Brevis sections. White Light looks at a series of contemporary ‘drugs driven’ films including ‘hallucinating cinema’ and ‘narco cinema’ wherein the drugs act as a plot catalyst or macguffin. Vita Brevis includes biographical films in all their currently very varied forms.

Five to watch
Rotterdam is a notoriously large film festival despite recent programme tightening so where there are five, there are always five more. Excluding films I’ve already seen I’ve chosen films here that I actually want to watch. You could probably walk into a random cinema in Rotterdam whilst the festival is on and strike gold.

The Pusher Trilogy and Gambler
I’m cheating here really by picking four films but Rotterdam has programmed Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher trilogy back to back to celebrate the arrival of Pusher 3 (I'm the Angel of Death) and Gambler a documentary all about Refn’s ploy to make the two Pusher sequels together in an independent, arthouse take on the big budget approach to making films in pairs.

The VPRO Tiger Awards
Okay getting silly now because there are 14 films up for a Tiger this year. They all seem great.

Tideland
It’s a great year when you can see two brand new Terry Gilliam films within the space of six months, and this is about to happen when Tideland comes to Rotterdam.

The Pervert's Guide to Cinema
Worth watching for the title alone this seemingly lewd work will disappoint a lot of people if it ever shows on television. Slovenian institution Slavoj Zizek delves through the psyche’s of some famous films.

Masters of Horror: Homecoming
Joe Dante is severely underrated and while he continues to descend into (highly referential and admittedly fun) juvenilia like Looney Tunes Back in Action a light is lost to the world. Then he tackles the current Iraq war with zombies in an episode of television show, Homecoming, and if reports are to be believed reminds us what all the fuss was about.

List of the VPRO Tiger Awards nominees

Song of Songs
Josh Appignanesi, United Kingdom, 2005

Glue (Historia Adolescente en Medio de la Nada))
Alexis Dos Santos, Argentina, 2006

Land of the Blind
Robert Edwards, United Kingdom/USA, 2006

The Gaze (Negah)
Sepideh Farsi, Iran/France, 2006

Un Matin Bonne Heure (Early in the Morning)
Gahité Fofana, France/Guinea, 2006

Un Jour D’Ete (A Summer Day)
Franck Guérin, France, 2006

Walking on the Wild Side (Lai Xiao Zi)
Han Jie, China, 2006

Ode To Joy (Oda Do Radosci)
Anna Kazejak-Dawid, & Jan Komasa & Maciej Migas, Poland, 2005

The Legend of Time (La Leyenda Del Tiempo)
Isaki Lacuesta, Spain, 2006

Northern Light (Langer Light)
David Lammers, The Netherlands, 2006

Madeinusa
Claudia Llosa, Peru/Spain, 2005

The Dog Pound (La Pererra)
Manuel Nieto Zas, Uruguay/Argentina/Canada/Spain, 2006

Old Joy
Kelly Reichardt, USA, 2005

Taking Father Home (Gei Ya Zi Nan Hai)
Ying Liang, China, 2005

For more information beyond this meagre article head to: www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com