Rotterdam Feat Highlights Forgotten Film History With “Cinema Regained” Program

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International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled its “Cinema Regained” program for 2025, featuring 43 restored classics, documentaries, and film heritage explorations. The strand includes both contemporary works and pre-1970 restorations.

Key premieres include Mousso Fariman — the first film from Burkinabé director Drissa Touré (Haramuya) in 30 years, co-directed with Stéphane Mbanga — and The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov, a tribute to the late, legendary Soviet filmmaker Sergei Parajanov, from director Ali Khamraev. The film will screen in Rotterdam 38 years after Parajanov and co-director Dodo Abashidze’s The Legend of Suram Fortress premiered at IFFR in 1987, winning the prize for best innovative film.

The Cinema Regained program will also show a restored version of José Álvaro Morais’s The Jester, which was first screened at IFFR in 1988.

Other highlights include Lee Taewoong’s Korean Dream: The Nama-jinheung Mixtape, examining Korean Cold War history through archival footage; Khavn’s AI-driven Bomba Bernal, which pays homage to Filipino genre cinema; and Saeed Nouri’s Tehran, An Unfinished History, a deep dive into pre-1979 Iranian cinema.

Women filmmakers feature prominently, with Katha from veteran Indian director Sai Paranjpye; Vani Subramanian’s documentary Cinema Pe Cinema: The Theatres. The Movies. And Us; and Oyoyo, a drama from Gujarati filmmaker Chetna Vora, which examines foreign student life in the German Democratic Republic-

Forgotten or under-appreciated film culture is another thematic thread, with such titles as Hafiz Rancajale’s Bachtiar, a look at the suppressed legacy of the late Indonesian director Bachtiar Siagian; and Edgar Georg Ulmer’s Cossacks in Exile (1939) representing Ukrainian exile cinema; and Ramón Rivera Moret’s Todo parecía posible, examining rural filmmaking in Puerto Rico.

The 54th IFFR runs Jan. 30-Feb. 9.

IFFR 2025 Cinema Regained Program

¡Homofobia! (European Premiere) dir. Goyo Anchou Argentina, 2024

Bachtiar (World Premiere) dir. Hafiz Rancajale Indonesia, 2025

Bomba Bernal (World Premiere) dir. Khavn Philippines, 2025

Cast of Shadows (World Premiere) dir. Sami van Ingen Finland, 2025

Cinema Pe Cinema: The Theatres. The Movies. And Us (European Premiere) dir. Vani Subramanian India, 2025

Cossacks in Exile dir. Edgar G. Ulmer United States, 1939

Erzählungen eines Kinogehers (World Premiere) dir. Christiane Büchner Germany, 2025

I Am with a Monk dir. Khom Akadet Thailand, 1984

Kaja, I’ll Kill You! dir. Vatroslav Mimica Croatia, Yugoslavia, 1967

Katha dir. Sai Paranjpye India, 1983

Korean Dream: The Nama-jinheung Mixtape (International Premiere) dir. Lee Taewoong South Korea, 2024

Mousso fariman (World Premiere) dir. Drissa Touré, Stephane Mbanga Burkina Faso, 2025

Negligence dir. Ali Kasmaie Iran, 1953

No Magic for Socialists (World Premiere) dir. Htoo Lwin Myo Myanmar, 2025

Someone Else’s Children dir. Tengiz Abuladze Georgia, 1958

Tehran, An Unfinished History (World Premiere) dir. Saeed Nouri Iran, 2025

The Grey Machine (World Premiere) dir. Péter Lichter Hungary, Estonia, 2025

The Jester dir. José Álvaro Morais Portugal, 1987

The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov (World Premiere) dir. Ali Khamraev Armenia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Italy, 2025

The Red Badge of Courage dir. John Huston United States, 1951

The Wide World of Mystery: House and the Brain dir. Gloria Monty United States, 1973

There’s a Fire Burning dir. Gustaf Molander Sweden, 1943

Todo parecía posible (World Premiere) dir. Ramón Rivera Moret United States, Puerto Rico, 2025

MID LENGTH:

La nott’e’l giorno dir. Gianni Castagnoli Italy, 1976

Notre Dame de la Croisette dir. Daniel Schmid Switzerland, 1981

Orangemond dir. Gabriele Denecke Germany, 1980

Oyoyo dir. Chetna Vora Germany, 1980

The Classic Ghosts: Deadly Visitor dir. Lela Swift United States, 1973

The Death of Dracula (World Premiere) dir. Attila Gödri, Gyopár Buzási, Flóra Kovács, Szabolcs Sztercey, Orsolya Orbán, Boglárka Angéla Farkas, Nóra Miklós, Zsófia Makkai Romania, Hungary, France, 2025

Was die Nacht spricht – eine Erzählung (World Premiere) dir. Hans Scheugl Austria, 2025

SHORT:

Itinéraire de Jean Bricard (Dutch Premiere) dir. Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet France, 2007

Kiss dir. Varun Grover India, 2021

Lantern Magic (World Premiere) dir. Adam Barker-Mill United Kingdom, 2025

Las manos del hombre dir. Jack Delano Puerto Rico, 1952

Modesta dir. Benjamin Doniger Puerto Rico, 1956

Neige dir. Roland Truffaut France, 2024

o.T. (Dokument Nr. 1)(Helmut Waldemar / Winchester Banz) (World Premiere) dir. Jürgen Heiter Germany, 2025

Ode to R.G. Springsteen dir. John Winn United States, 2024

S. Parajanov. Delayed Premiere (International Premiere) dir. Yuriy Repik Ukraine, 1995

Saturn Return dir. Daniela Zahlner Austria, 2024

The Geneva Mechanism: A Ghost Movie dir. Péter Lichter Hungary, 2024

Una voz en la montaña dir. Amilcar Tirado Puerto Rico, 1952

Where Russia Ends dir. Oleksiy Radynski Ukraine, 2024

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