The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has announced the lineup for the 42nd edition of CineMart, its co-production market, which will take place from 5 February 2 to 5 in the coming year. The selection features 20 film projects and four immersive projects, two of which are from African filmmakers.
Enkop (The Soil) is directed by Kenya’s Angela Wanjiku Wamai. Her film tells the story of 55-year-old Lorna Marwa’s fight to reclaim her life on the dusty expanses of Kenya’s volatile ranch land. The film is produced by LBx Africa and PRPL.
The news comes after the announcement of the same project receiving a Hubert Bals Fund.
Also selected for 2025’s CineMart is Eziko, directed by Babalwa Baartman and Jenna Cato Bass from South Africa. Their film follows a young academic as she journeys into the rural Eastern Cape in search of her long-lost sister. Eziko is produced by Sanusi Films and Miss K Productions.
Other projects
Other countries in the lineup include Turkey, Spain, the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia. Some notable projects include 100 Thousand Turkish Liras, directed by Nazlı Elif Durlu, Adiós, amor, directed by Zaida Carmona, Black Is Blue by Cheryl Dunye, Cape of Pleasures, a collaborative effort by Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimarães, and Corte Culebra, directed by Ana Elena Tejera.
The selection also features Faust by Jazmín López, Four Seasons in Java by Kamila Andini, How Melissa Blew a Fuse by Una Gunjak, The March of the Sunflowers by Erik Ricco, and The Price of Gold by Eugen Jebeleanu, among others.
For the CineMart immersive projects, the lineup features four projects including The Dreams of Time, directed by Jeissy Trompiz, Hyperdam, directed by Floris van Laethem, One Charming Night, directed by Robin Coops, and Strata, directed by Lilian Hess.
According to the organisers, the 2025 Cinemart selection showcases a wide range of genres and themes “from stories of war and anti-colonial struggle, to bold queer voices and strong female characters; and from the origins of authoritarian regimes to their dystopian futures, folk horror to stop motion animation, romantic musical comedy and Afro-noir mystery”.
The 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) takes place from January 30 to February 9. Alongside the CineMart, the IFFR presents the IFFR Pro Awards, which honour outstanding projects from the CineMart and Darkroom selections. The awards ceremony will be held on the evening of February 5, 2025.
