Rotterdam Unveils IFFR Pro Award Winners

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The 2025 edition of IFFR Pro Days, the industry section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, wrapped up Feb. 5 with an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding projects from IFFR Pro’s co-production market CineMart, and work-in-progress platform Darkroom.

European film subsidy body Eurimages presented two New Lab Awards: the Innovation Award, with a €20,000 ($21,000) bursary, went to One Charming Night by Robin Coops, produced by Corine Meijers, for its exploration of consent, privacy, and intimacy in the digital world. The Outreach Award, worth €30,000 ($31,000) was awarded to Erratics by Thomas Woodroffe, produced by Rodrigo Díaz and Pascual Mena, and starring Denis Lavant, for its multilayered exploration of memory and history.

Post-production group Filmmore presented two post-production awards of €5,000 ($5,100) each: The Work-in-Progress Post-Production Award went to Wild Dogs Don’t Bite by Rati Oneli, produced by Rati Oneli, Evgeniia Marchenko, Archil Gelovani, and Sergey Yakhontov, and the Post-Production Award for CineMart was given to The March of the Sunflowers by Erik Ricco, produced by Ivan Melo, noted for its use of animation to convey resilience and optimism.

The inaugural HBF Empowerment Award, worth €10,000 ($11,000), went to Tear Gas by Uta Beria, produced by Anna Khazaradze and Nino Chichua. The jury highlighted its urgent themes of freedom of expression and political tension. The film also received the Outward Gaze Award, another €10,000 honor, from the PJLF Arts Fund.

The VIPO Award and its €3,000 ($3,100) bursary was granted to Four Seasons in Java by Kamila Andini, produced by Ifa Isfansyah. The jury noted its engagement with social justice, human rights, and the clash between nature and technology.

The 4DR Studios Award for Best Immersive Project in CineMart was awarded to Strata by Lilian Hess, and produced by Marion Guth. The jury praised the project’s clear concept and innovative use of new distribution channels to broaden the immersive audience. The 4DR Studios Award for Best Immersive Project in Darkroom went to The Great Orator by Daniel Ernst, produced by Siuli Ko, commended for its impressive creative design and use of immersive technology.

The ArteKino International Award, worth €6,000 ($6,100) was won by Inbetween Worlds by Diana Cam Van Nguyen, produced by Karolina Davidova and Jakub Viktorin.

“We’re delighted and proud to see the recognition the juries have given to the awarded projects, which will only add to the momentum from CineMart and the Darkroom presence which all projects have experienced,” said Marten Rabarts, Head of IFFR Pro. “Together with our delegates here for this vibrant edition in Rotterdam, they’ve opened conversations, found partners, and moved their projects ever-closer to realization.”

Wednesday, February 5, following an expanded program that included CineMart, Darkroom, the Pro Hub, and a range of talent development initiatives such as Rotterdam Lab and Creative Producer Indaba. This year’s edition also highlighted the activities of the Hubert Bals Fund.

For the first time, IFFR Pro collaborated with the BFI Inclusion team to welcome a delegation of Disabled film professionals, aimed at fostering accessible networking opportunities and supporting new creative and financial partnerships.

The festival also marked the 25th edition of Rotterdam Lab, a training initiative designed to help early-career producers build and expand their professional networks.

The Pro Hub hosted 13 industry panels under the Pro Dialogues banner, covering a spectrum of pressing topics, including the state of queer cinema, Disability inclusion, and the ethical and aesthetic implications of AI in filmmaking.