IFFR Pro

Two prizes for HBF and IFFR Pro-supported films: Cannes 2026 round-up🌴

The IFFR team is just back from an exciting and rewarding edition at Cannes. Across the Official Selection and Semaine de la Critique, five IFFR-backed films featured in the programme, two took home prizes, and Rotterdam Lab alumni were present throughout.

IFFR-backed films in Cannes:
✧ The Station by Sara Ishaq [Development (2018), HBF+Europe (2022) and NFF+HBF (2022)]
✧ Seis meses en el edificio rosa con azul by Bruno Santamaría Razo (HBF+Europe in 2024)
✧ Ben’imana by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo won the Caméra d’or prize (HBF Development Support in 2022)
✧ Elephants in the Fog by Abinash Bikram Shah won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard (HBF Development Support in 2021 and HBF+Europe Minority Co-production Support in 2023)
✧ Titanic Ocean by Konstantina Kotzamani (CineMart 2019)

The Hubert Bals Fund made two major announcements as HBF+Brazil launched its second edition at a full-house panel at the Marché du Film, and the Displacement Film Fund revealed its second cycle of recipients.

Read more via:

Two prizes for HBF and IFFR Pro-supported films: Cannes 2026 round-up - IFFR EN Five IFFR-backed films featured in the programme, two took home prizes and Rotterdam Lab alumni made their presence felt throughout.

Jury Prize in Cannes for Hubert Bals Fund- and IFFR Pro-supported Elephants in the Fog 🇳🇵🏆

Our congratulations to Nepalese filmmaker Abinash Bikram Shah, whose HBF-supported debut feature Elephants in the Fog won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.

"A work of shattering visual beauty and q***r political ferocity," wrote Cédric Succivalli for the International Cinephile Society on the film set in Nepal's transgender community.

The film was backed by the Hubert Bals Fund with Development Support (2021) and HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support (2023), as well as through IFFR Pro and the Netherlands Film Festival's BoostNL development programme (2022–3).

Co-producer Tatiana Leite of Bubbles Project (Brazil) – a Rotterdam Lab 2015 alum and familiar face as a CineMart mentor – brings yet another IFFR connection.

IFFR Pro Awards 2026 🏆

​The Pro Awards winners have just been announced, presented to projects across the 2026 CineMart, Darkroom, Lightroom and Safe Harbour lineups!
4DR Studios Awards:

Best Immersive Project in Development:
✧ Chemin des Bâtards by Leon Rogissart (Belgium, Netherlands)
Best Immersive Work-in-Progress:
✧ Cléo by Coco Chen (Taiwan)

ArteKino International Award:
✧ The Poet's Son by Nicolas Graux (.graux) (Belgium, France, Germany)
(with a special shoutout from the jury for Worse Together by Luis De Filippis )

Eurimages New Lab Awards:
Innovation Award:
✧ Daughters of the Sea by Martika Ramirez Escobar (.escobar) (Philippines, Spain)
Outreach Award:
✧ LFD Hope by Joshua Loftin (United Kingdom, Hungary)

Filmmore Awards:
✧ The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs by Èlia Gasull Balada () and Matteo Norzi (Peru, United States, Spain, Chile)
✧ Pale Faces by Chantel Clark () (Netherlands, South Africa)

HBF Empowerment Award:
✧ Marina by Laís Santos Araújo (.santos.araujo) and Pethrus Tibúrcio (.t) (Brazil)

HBF x PUBLIKUM Audience Outreach Award:
✧ Coumba by Mamadou Dia (Senegal, France)
New Impulse Award:
✧ Hidden Journey by Noura Adil () (Sudan)

VIPO Award:
✧ Neon Phantom by Leonardo Martinelli () (Brazil)

Read more via: https://iffr.com/en/blog-iffr-pro-awards-2026

Lightroom immersive market announces nine works 🕯️

Nine projects have been selected for the first edition of Lightroom: IFFR's new industry platform for immersive storytelling, taking place during the IFFR Pro Days at IFFR 2026.

Lightroom brings together all XR, VR and interactive projects previously presented as works-in-progress and works-in-development in CineMart and Darkroom, and, together with a symposium, creates one unified space for immersive work.

The selected projects are:
In-development:
🇧🇪🇳🇱 Chemin des Bâtards, dir. Leon Rogissart
🇱🇺🇫🇷 Les Gens de la Pluie, dir. Nicolas Blies & Stéphane Hueber-Blies (aka Bliesbro)
🇨🇭 Hiatus, dir. Laurent Novac, z1 Studio
🇨🇦 Lueurs Intérieures, dir. Bianca Shonee Arroyo-Kreimes & Philippe Lambert
🇳🇱 Mine Land, dir. & prod. Katja Verheul

Works-in-progress:
🇹🇼 Cléo, dir. Coco Chen
🇩🇪🇳🇱 The Demise of the ISS Leonardo, dir. Davide Maria Emanuel Cocchiara
🇮🇹🇯🇵🇳🇱 Jarkov, dir. Maya Watanabe
🇯🇵 NOX, dir. Rio Nakada

Read more about them here: https://iffr.com/en/blog-lightroom-selection-2026

Rotterdam Lab open-call selections 🧪

Our workshop for emerging producers, Rotterdam Lab, has announced the names of five producers who will join the cohort of 70+ producers at IFFR 2026, following an open-call for participation.

The Creative Europe-backed call aims to maximise the plurality of voices, backgrounds and experiences in the Rotterdam Lab cohort, giving particular attention to countries and regions not yet served by existing partner organisations.

The selected producers are:

🇵🇸 May Jabareen (Palestine)
🇱🇧 Hiba Louis (Lebanon)
🇦🇷 Iván Moscovich (Argentina)
🇨🇿 Natália Pavlove (Czech Republic)
🇰🇪 Audrey Restetuta Tanya (Kenya)

Read all about them here: https://iffr.com/en/blog-rotterdam-lab-2026-open-call-selection

CineMart launches Safe Harbour programme for stateless and at-risk filmmakers 🌐

Safe Harbour is IFFR's new market programme intended to uplift projects in development from emerging filmmakers who have experienced displacement or forced migration and who face limited access to professional networks, funding pathways and development opportunities.

For this pilot edition, four early-stage projects by writers, directors and artists who are at risk and/or stateless have been selected to participate in the 43rd edition of IFFR’s co-production market CineMart:

✧ The Beer Girl In Yangon, dir. Sein Lyan Tun (Myanmar)

✧ Hidden Journey, dir. Noura Adil (Sudan)

✧ Last Trip, dir. Ziad Kalthoum (Syria)

✧ Shall We Meet Again?, dir. Amjad Sokkar and Woroud Alqassas (Palestine/Gaza)

The programme has been developed in collaboration with the International Emerging Film Talent Fund (IEFTF), the Athens-based philanthropic organisation dedicated to strengthening film ecosystems across the Global South, who led global outreach with extensive research and interviews.

Read about Safe Harbour, and more details of the IFFR Pro programme for 2026, here: https://iffr.com/en/blog-cinemart-safe-harbour

CineMart selections unveiled for 2026 ✨

We're thrilled to announce the 21 feature projects selected for CineMart, IFFR's co-production market, running Sunday 1 to Wednesday 4 February during IFFR 2026 – together with the 10 projects for our work-in-progress platform Darkroom.

Discovery and established filmmaking meet in this year's selection. The lineup tackles urgent global themes – war and displacement, climate change and the struggle to define and preserve identities in turbulent times – all with bold cinematic creativity and forays into sci-fi, horror and musical.

Two new initiatives launch this year, reinforcing CineMart's connections across the festival ecosystem: the inaugural CineMart x HBF lineup features six projects from Hubert Bals Fund Development recipients, whilst the new Lightroom programme, developed with IFFR's Art Directions, creates a dedicated platform for immersive media projects.

CineMart:
🇪🇸 Adarna by Lois Patiño (.patino), Spain. Produced by: Elástica Films ( ), Matriuska Producciones ( )
🇳🇱🇨🇭 after the night, the night by Naomi Pacifique (), Netherlands, Switzerland. Produced by: Grom Productions (.productions), Lemming Film (), GoldenEgg production ()
🇪🇬🇫🇷 Animals by Morad Mostafa (.mostafaa), Egypt, France. Produced by: Bonanza Films (), Wrong Films ()
🇱🇧🇫🇷 Beirut Baby by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Lebanon, France. Produced by: Abbout Productions, Haut et Court
🇮🇳🇫🇷 Birdwoman by Lipika Singh Darai (), India, France. Produced by: Salt For Sugar Films ()
🇸🇳🇫🇷 Coumba by Mamadou Dia, Senegal, France. Produced by: Maayo, Les films du Bilboquet
🇵🇭🇪🇸 Daughters of the Sea by Martika Ramirez Escobar (.escobar), The Philippines, Spain. Produced by: This Side Up (), Arkeofilms, Alba Sotorra Cinema Productions ()
🇧🇷🇺🇾 Golden Balls by Lillah Halla, Brazil, Uruguay. Produced by: Manjericão Filmes, Cimarrón Cine, Arissas ()
🇸🇬🇻🇳 Hearing by Lê Bảo (), Singapore, Vietnam. Produced by: E&W Films, Sensory Ocean Films
🇨🇳 Kingdom of the Insomniacs by Kang Bo, China. Produced by: Rediance ()
🇩🇰 LUX by Thomas Elley, Denmark. Produced by: Frau Film ()
🇧🇷 Neon Phantom by Leonardo Martinelli (), Brazil. Produced by: Duas Mariola Filmes ()
🇵🇭 Noodles, Our Love was Instant and Forever by Whammy Alcazaren (), Philippines. Produced by: Daluyong Studios (), Two Fold ()
🇳🇱🇿🇦 Pale Faces by Chantel Clark (), The Netherlands, South Africa. Produced by: BALDR Film (), Cadence ()
🇮🇳 Portuguese Man O' War by Ridham Janve, India. Produced by: Bombay Berlin Film Productions, The Film Cafe
🇯🇵 Shumari by Toshihiko Tanaka ( ), Japan. Produced by: ColorBird (), No Saint. & Bloom ()
🇬🇧🇺🇸 The Dispute by Andrea Ellsworth () and Kasey Elise Walker (), United Kingdom, United States of America. Produced by: Felix Culpa (), Watermark Media (), and Gilga ()
🇧🇪🇫🇷🇩🇪 The Poet's Son by Nicolas Graux (.graux), Belgium, France, Germany. Produced by: Tarantula (), Petit à Petit Production, Yellow Blackbird, Clin d'Œil
🇬🇪🇳🇱 Vika by Tamar Shavgulidze (), Georgia, The Netherlands. Produced by: Nushi Film GEO (), GoGoFilm (.eu)
🇳🇿🇬🇧🇬🇷 When the Goats Came by Arthur Gay (.elias.gay), New Zealand, United Kingdom, Greece. Produced by: In Two Minds Productions, Exa Films (), Ossian International
🇨🇦🇨🇭 Worse Together by Luis De Filippis (), Canada, Switzerland. Produced by: JA Productions Inc., Cloud Fog Haze Pictures
CineMart x HBF Selection

🇮🇳🇫🇷 Birdwoman by Lipika Singh Darai (), India, France. Produced by: Salt For Sugar Films ()
🇸🇳🇫🇷 Coumba by Mamadou Dia, Senegal, France. Produced by: Maayo, Les Films du Bilboquet
🇵🇭🇪🇸 Daughters of the Sea by Martika Ramirez Escobar (.escobar), Philippines, Spain. Produced by: This Side Up (), Arkeofilms, Alba Sotorra Cinema Productions ()
🇧🇷🇺🇾 Golden Balls by Lillah Halla, Brazil, Uruguay. Produced by: Manjericão Filmes, Cimarrón Cine, Arissas ()
🇧🇷 Neon Phantom by Leonardo Martinelli (), Brazil. Produced by: Duas Mariola Filmes ()
🇬🇪🇳🇱 Vika by Tamar Shavgulidze (), Georgia, Netherlands. Produced by: Nushi Film GEO (), GoGoFilm (.eu)
Darkroom:
🇨🇷🇵🇪🇵🇦🇨🇱 Amor es el monstruo by Neto Villalobos Brenes (), Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Chile. Produced by: La Sucia Centroamericana (), Cine Infinito (), Expansiva Cine (), Clara Films ()
🇳🇱🇬🇷 Get Up Stand Up by Mari Sanders (.j.sanders), Netherlands, Greece. Produced by: The Film Kitchen (), Neda Film (.gr)
🇮🇹🇨🇭 Làstima by Mario Piredda, Italy, Switzerland. Produced by: Articolture () and DOK MOBILE ()
🇬🇧🇭🇺 LFD Hope by Joshua Loftin (.helping), United Kingdom, Hungary. Produced by: Sea Fox Films, Lorenz Films, Gallivant Film (), Good Kids Productions ()
🇧🇷 Marina by Laís Santos Araújo (.santos.araujo) and Pethrus Tibúrcio (.t), Brazil. Produced by: Aguda Cinema (), Carnaval Filmes ()
🇫🇷🇰🇷 Sea, Star, Woman by Jeunghae Yim (), France, Korea. Produced by: 5à7 Films (), Seesaw Pictures ()
🇳🇱🇧🇪 Sugar by Amira Duynhouwer (.duynhouwer), Netherlands, Belgium. Produced by: Studio Ruba (), Mirage Film ()
🇵🇪🇺🇸🇪🇸🇨🇱 The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs by Èlia Gasull Balada (), Matteo Norzi (), Peru, United States, Spain, Chile. Produced by: Shipibo Conibo Center (), Desfase Films (), Funicular Films (), Pista B (.b.prod)
🇪🇸🇧🇪 The Outside by Víctor Moreno (), Spain, Belgium. Produced by: KV Films (), Womack Studios (.studios), Transit Transat
🇬🇷🇳🇱 Uchronia: Parallel Histories of Q***r Revolt by Fil Ieropoulos (), Greece, Netherlands. Produced by: FYTA Films, GROM Productions ()

Read more via: https://iffr.com/en/blog-cinemart-selection-2026

Accreditations now open 📣

Film industry professionals, journalists and students, apply now for your IFFR 2026 accreditation!

An IFFR Pro or Art Directions accreditation invites you to explore the complete IFFR 2026 selection with a full industry programme of panels, conversations and daily networking receptions.

This year, we’re also happy to offer our new IFFR Art Directions accreditation, designed for artists, filmmakers, producers, curators and professionals working at the intersection of visual arts, immersive media and cinema.

Apply by November 26 for the Early Tiger rate via: https://iffr.com/en/iffr-2025-accreditation