Rotterdam Launches Industry Forum For Stateless & At-Risk Filmmakers
The Rotterdam Film Festival will launch a programme dedicated to supporting stateless and at-risk filmmakers as part of the industry sidebar during its 2026 edition, which runs February 1-4. The programme is titled Safe Harbour.
“The introduction of Safe Harbour marks an important new chapter in IFFR‘s commitment to supporting filmmakers in fragile situations who face significant challenges in accessing funding and opportunities,” Vanja Kaluderjcic, Festival Director at IFFR, said in a statement.
The festival has already selected four early-stage projects by writers, directors, and artists who are at-risk or stateless to participate in Rotterdam’s CineMart co-production market. The festival said participants will take part in a tailored series of meetings with producers, funds, industry partners, and allies. In preparation, filmmakers will be given online mentorship, followed by an in-person workshop ahead of CineMart, aimed at preparing and strengthening their project materials for market participation.
The four selected Safe Harbour projects are:
● The Beer Girl In Yangon, dir. Sein Lyan Tun (Myanmar) Produced by: KawanKawan Media (Indonesia), In Vivo Films (France), Loaded Films (Japan), Momo Film Co (Singapore), Daluyong Studios (Philippines)
● Hidden Journey, dir. Noura Adil (Sudan) Produced by: Weika Production Ltd. (Sudan & Rwanda)
● Last Trip, dir. Ziad Kalthoum (Syria) Produced by Mayana Films (Germany), Tiresias Films (France), Endorfina Studio (Poland)
● Shall We Meet Again?, dir. Amjad Sokkar and Woroud Alqassas (Palestine/Gaza) Produced by: Dessi Films (Egypt)
“Across IFFR Pro this edition, we’re reinforcing our dedication to a more diverse and resilient industry globally and demonstrating our capacity to respond to evolving needs,” Kaluderjcic added. “This can be seen throughout our programme and its brand-new initiatives, including in Lightroom, CineMart x HBF, and our new Creators Lab, which builds on more than 25 years of success from our globally renowned Rotterdam Lab producers’ workshop.”
Safe Harbour has been developed in collaboration with the International Emerging Film Talent Fund (IEFTF), the Athens-based philanthropic organisation.
The 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam will run from January 29 to February 8.
