Hivos brings International Film Festival Rotterdam to Harare – live!

January 22, 2018

On 26 January, Zimbabwe – through Hivos Southern Africa – will become the first Sub-Saharan African country to live stream films from the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). IFFR 2018, the 47th edition of the film festival, takes place from 24 January to 4 February 2018 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

IFFR offers a high quality line-up of carefully selected fiction and documentary feature films, short films and media art. The festival’s focus is on recent work by talented new filmmakers from around the globe. The festival celebrates the power of cinema to increase our understanding of society, infuse positive social change and expand the creative space for film citizenship and the diverse forms of cinema.

Hivos supports filmmakers worldwide

Hivos supports a free and open cinema climate, not only as head sponsor of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and partner of the Hubert Bals Fund, but also by working with filmmakers in countries like Syria, Cuba and Zimbabwe. In places where freedom is hard won, these filmmakers produce movies and documentaries that tell a genuine story and need a platform. Hivos gives them a voice.

“Hivos is a proud partner of IFFR in the Netherlands, and I am delighted that we are now also part of this unique and first-ever live streaming of the IFFR in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is a historical event that presents us with an opportunity for interaction and dialogue between filmmakers and audiences in Zimbabwe and the Netherlands through a virtual medium,” said Tanja Lubbers, director of Hivos Southern Africa.

IFFR-Live in Harare

IFFR-Live will be hosted by Rooftop Promotions at Theatre in the Park in the Harare Gardens supported by Hivos Southern Africa in partnership with the IFFR.  This unique event comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s film industry is breaking new ground in the international arena with Zimbabwe’s own local feature film, ‘Cook Off’, selected for screening at the festival.

IFFR Director Bero Beyer said that the live streaming in Harare provides the IFFR with an opportunity to widen the reach of new films.

“IFFR is about connecting people and bringing daring new films to audiences that want to expand their view on the world though cinema. We are extremely happy and proud to include Harare, Zimbabwe in a unique cinematic event, called IFFR-Live. Audiences from all over will be able to connect to the cast and crew live via social media to join the discussion and truly be part of the festival,” said Beyer.

The festivals and cultural spaces Hivos supports in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Netherlands provide an ideal platform for cultural expression, public debate and cultural exchange both nationally and internationally, while offering artists the opportunity to reach wide audiences and distribute their work through larger networks.