The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has announced a new selection of premieres in Bright Future and Harbour. The first Limelight films have also been announced, and two new Focus programs featuring short films have been added to the lineup of the 55th festival edition, which will take place from January 29 to February 8, 2026. The short film Focus programs spotlight the collective of Belgian and Congolese artists Collectif Faire-Part and the Japanese multidisciplinary artist Tetsuya Maruyama.
The new series of premieres includes the world premieres of the experimental 3D comedy The Misconceived by James N. Kienitz Wilkins; the performance film Songs of Hope and Despair. Performed by Bundschuh, Fish, Fox Tail, Rainbow, Dead Drummer, Muse-Leaving Germany and by other agencies by the Chto Delat collective; and the debut films IAI by Sakai Zenzo and Why Do I See You In Everything? by Rand Abou Fakher. In addition, the festival will host international premieres of the dark Basque fairy tale Gaua by Paul Urkijo Alijo; Thunska Pansittivorakul’s musical journey Isan Odyssey; the atmospheric neo-noir Mergen by Chingiz Narynov; and Gamer Girls by Veronica Bassetto and Sophie Yang. In the Limelight program, featuring highlights from this year’s festival circuit, the European premieres will include the 91st film by Japanese master Yamada Yoji, the road movie Tokyo Taxi, and the historical epic Quezon by Jerrold Tarog. For the short film Focus programs, Collectif Faire-Part explores Belgium’s colonial history, contemporary power dynamics, and the collective resistance rooted in decolonization. Founders Anne Reijniers, Paul Shemisi, Nizar Saleh, and Rob Jacobs shape new stories about Kinshasa, Brussels, and the complex connections between the two through their multidisciplinary approach, which combines film, photography, and performance art. IFFR’s Focus program marks their first international retrospective and includes the world premiere of What We Said to Brussels Airlines, Speech for a Melting Statue (selected for IFFR 2023), and L'escale, alongside other collaborative and individual works. Tetsuya Maruyama is a Japanese multidisciplinary artist based in Rio de Janeiro. He primarily works with analog film but also creates installations, performances, texts, and compilations of found sounds. This program fully showcases his diversity, presenting Maruyama’s exploration of the everyday, carefully observed and analyzed through lens, emulsion, microphone, and pen. The program includes the world premieres of Third Mountain with slides from a Brazilian mining company; Q&A, focusing on images made with a homemade pinhole camera; FOTOGRAFAR, where a glass of water and a beam of light become instruments of self-reflection; and One more performance that unfolds a space, a performance in which Maruyama examines the cinema. Other works include Untitled (three moons), ANTFILM, and GIRA 2. Festival Director Vanja Kaludjercic said:
"At IFFR, we want every visitor to feel welcome and challenged to explore new perspectives. This new selection of premieres and short film programs reflects the creative energy and curiosity that define our festival. The two short film Focus programs each present a distinct approach and expressive power: one through Tetsuya Maruyama’s tangible, analog exploration of performance and image; the other through Collectif Faire-Part’s ongoing reflections on colonial histories and the questions that continue to arise from them. Both programs bring together strong, idiosyncratic voices that we are proud to present in Rotterdam."
