The 51st edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will be held online in response to increased concerns about the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The organizers of the festival had earlier announced plans for an ambitious on-site programme. However, the Netherlands has already imposed a lockdown in light of the spread of the virus across Europe, and the festival organizers have announced a scaled down programme that will be held from 26 January to 6 February 2022.
IFFR 2022 will offer audiences a selection of films, which will be available in the Netherlands. Along with this, IFFR Talks will be available worldwide on IFFR.com. IFFR Pro industry events CineMart and Rotterdam Lab will also take place online.
Although the government has announced a lockdown till 14 January for now, the festival said that a last-minute transition to an in-person event in Rotterdam will not be compatible with the ambitious on-ground festival that was previously planned.
A statement on the festival website reads, “The festival acknowledges that the impact of this critical decision is widely felt – most prominently affecting the filmmaking community and audiences which IFFR continually sets out to support and connect with. IFFR remains committed to presenting an online programme in conditions that permit the safety of the public, staff members and guests while celebrating cinema and providing a platform for filmmakers from across the globe.”
Additional information about the festival programme will be announced in a press conference in early January.