Considered one of the world’s leading platforms for independent cinema and innovative film practices, this year’s edition features a strong Arab presence, with 14 films screening across the festival’s various programmes, reaffirming the growing prominence of Arab cinema on the global cultural stage.
Leading this Arab participation is a special tribute to acclaimed Egyptian director Marwan Hamed, marking the first comprehensive European retrospective of his work at a major international film festival.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has curated a dedicated and diverse programme celebrating Hamed’s more than two-decade career, during which he has navigated a wide range of genres, from thrillers and crime epics to political dramas, historical spectacles, and biographical films.
According to the festival’s programme notes, Hamed has consistently demonstrated a rare ability to combine emotional intensity, striking visuals, and compelling performances. Over a 25-year filmmaking career, he has repeatedly set box-office records in Egypt. His directorial debut, The Yacoubian Building (2006), established him as a leading voice in Egyptian mainstream cinema.
He went on to deliver a series of genre-bending works, including the mystery thriller The Blue Elephant (2014), followed by The Blue Elephant 2 (2019). His filmography also includes the dark satire The Originals (2017) and the historical epic Kira & El-Gen (2022).
The retrospective includes seven of his films: The Yacoubian Building (2006), Ibrahim El Abyad (2009), The Blue Elephant (2014), The Originals (2017), Diamond Dust (2018), The Blue Elephant 2 (2019), and Kira & El-Gen (2022).
In addition, the Limelight section features the European premiere of his latest film, El-Sett (2025), which chronicles the life of legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. The film is written by his long-time collaborator, Ahmed Mourad, and stars Mona Zaki.
The IFFR Talks programme will also feature an in-depth conversation between Marwan Hamed and acclaimed director Yousry Nasrallah, scheduled for next Monday. The pair will discuss Hamed’s major biopic El-Sett, as well as highlights from their distinguished careers.
The Limelight section is regarded as a highlight for cinema lovers. From genre gems to award-winners and audience favourites, it offers a vibrant selection that welcomes newcomers while rewarding seasoned festivalgoers.
The programme showcases some of the most high-profile international films of 2025 that have garnered widespread attention and major accolades. Notable titles include Father Mother Sister Brother by Jim Jarmusch, winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival last September; No Other Choice by South Korean director Park Chan-wook; and the Brazilian film The Secret Agent, which recently received Golden Globe awards for Best Actor and Best Foreign-Language Film and was nominated for the Oscars.
The Limelight programme also features Palestine 36, directed by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, a historical drama tracing the Great Palestinian Revolt against British colonial rule in the 1930s while examining the early stages of Jewish settlement and the destruction of Palestinian villages. The film blends historical documentation with cinematic storytelling.
In the Bright Future section, dedicated to debut feature films distinguished by original themes and distinctive personal styles, Egyptian director Yasser Shafiey presents Complaint No. 713317 in its international premiere.
The film won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cairo International Film Festival and unfolds as a dark comedy centred on an absurd conflict over a broken refrigerator, gradually revealing deeper complexities of life, love, and ageing.
Meanwhile, Algerian filmmaker Malek Bensmaïl competes in the Big Screen Competition with the world premiere of his first narrative feature, The Arab, a co-production between Algeria, France, Switzerland, the UAE, and Belgium.
The film reimagines the enigmatic Arab character from Albert Camus’ novel The Stranger, offering a critical artistic perspective on identity and history through a powerful visual narrative.
Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (Palestine 36, The Arab) and Italian actress Valeria Golino (Fuori) will participate in the IFFR programme next Sunday.
The pair will discuss their long-standing international careers, which span arthouse cinema and acclaimed television series. Drawing on their extensive experience, they will reflect on the creative processes behind shaping their characters—whether through performance, directing, or their work as creative consultants and acting coaches. The conversation will be moderated by Kristy Matheson, Director of the British Film Institute (BFI) Festivals.
The Harbour section includes two works by Arab filmmakers. The first is Calle Málaga by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, which tells the story of an elderly Spanish woman struggling to preserve her quiet life after her daughter decides to sell the apartment she has lived in for decades in the Moroccan city of Tangier.
The second is Home Bitter Home, a collective work by six Lebanese directors receiving its world premiere. The film presents six intimate portraits of artists striving to create and survive within the realities of contemporary Lebanese society.
Finally, the Cinema Regained programme, dedicated to collective memory, restored classics, and films exploring cinema culture and heritage, will screen the Palestinian film Habibi Hussein by Alex Bakri in its Dutch premiere.
A Palestinian-German-Saudi co-production, the film follows Hussein Darbey, a veteran film projectionist who draws on more than four decades of experience and an extensive network to revive a carbon-arc projector, in pursuit of fulfilling a misleading dream promoted by a non-governmental organization. The film stands as a cautionary tale about cultural colonialism, extending beyond cinema as a symbolic framework.
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