The Groninger Forum is leading this mini-version of the IFFR
By Thomas Ansell
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is, each year, joined by its Groninger younger sibling, the International Film Festival Rotterdan in Groningen (IFFRiG). This year is no different, and though IFFRiG started on Wednesday, here are our top picks for a weekend full to bursting with indie epics, award-winners, and artistic masterpieces.
The IFFRiG is being held in a number of locations across the city, including the sparkling new Groninger Forum, the art deco Grand Theatre, and the artistic hub of Vera.
The opening film on Wednesday January 29 (Forum) will be Les misérables. Quite removed from the over-the-top stage musicals and sanitised Hollywood films of the same name, Les misérables is a frantic jaunt through Paris’ banlieus.
Friday’s top pick may well be a screening of the modern adaptation of the classical novel from 1868, Little Women. Fresh from being nominated for six Academy Awards and five BAFTA’s, now is your chance to catch a stellar cast acting out their Victorian-era fantasies.
Colombian drama comes in the form of Valley of Souls, the first feature length film from Rincón Gille, who is best known for his documentaries. Essentially, the story involves a father looking for his two missing sons, but it is set in the midst of Colombia’s decades-long war between paramilitary forces and the government. Valley of the Souls plays on Thursday 30 January and Sunday 2 January at the Forum.
If you’re in the mood for some technicolour animation, then drifting off into Children of the Sea’s magnificent manga animation. Plot-wise, it’s a coming of age film, but set within the impending climate crisis of our current age. Children of the Sea will play on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 January at the Forum.
Finally, and in keeping with Japanese film-making, Vera will be offering the chance to watch some true Japanese horror on Saturday February 1, with the 35mm-filmed The Audition. Those in the know might recognise director Miike Takashi, who has a particularly innovative streak when it comes to scripting fittingly unpleasant deaths for some of his equally unpleasant characters!
For tickets, information, a full programme, and more, just head to https://forum.nl/en/iffr
Image via Forum.nl
