DAILY TIGER
NEDERLANDSE EDITIE Z.O.Z
39TH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM #1 THUrSDAY 28 JANUARY 2010
IFFR director Rutger Wolfson
photo: Ruud Jonkers
Confidential report IFFR director Rutger Wolfson talks about his ambitions and priorities for 2010. By Edward Lawrenson
An air of purposeful frenzy greets the visitor to the office of Rutger Wolfson, general director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Among the usual signs of frenetic activity that inevitably are part of the lead-up to IFFR, Wolfson has to contend with a three-man camera crew circling him during his interview with the Daily Tiger. The sound of the phones from the adjoining offices is complemented by the noise of a drill being used by workmen refitting a shop downstairs – nothing to do with the festival, but it all adds to the impression of gathering momentum. CONFIDENCE
Wolfson remains calm and focused despite such distractions – only the decision by the camera crew to take some close-up shots of papers on his desk (“There could be confidential stuff there!”) momentarily diverts him. His composure reflects a confidence that has come with Wolfson’s second
full year as director of IFFR: “The newness has worn off, so it feels a lot more comfortable”, he says. “This year, we had a few more ambitions and new ideas we wanted to try out; having the experience of last year, I feel more effective.” Audience participation
Foremost among these ambitions is IFFR’s Cinema Reloaded initiative. Inspired by social-networking sites, the online venture will attempt to raise finance for three short films from film fans through issuing virtual coins to the value of five Euros; and then involve these ‘co-producers’ in the development and progress of their chosen project. The scheme builds on past debates around digital distribution and financing that have taken place in Rotterdam in recent years, but it also relates to IFFR’s broader and more long-standing emphasis on experimentation: “It is very much in the tradition of Rotterdam, because it’s about exploring new forms of film culture. We’ve been theorizing about the digital future, but this is really something practical. If the idea works, what you will see is that it’s a way for audiences to be much more involved in
the filmmaking process; for filmmakers it’s a way to get feedback from your audience. Hopefully the project will create a ready-made audience before the film is finished.” This engagement with potentially new funding schemes also grows out of IFFR’s recognition of the challenges that the cultural cinema it champions faces in finding audiences. Admissions to IFFR remain robust – pre-sales for 2010 are, Wolfson says, “slightly ahead of target” but “the kind of films we love at IFFR have a harder and harder time reaching audiences outside of the festival.” Central focus
Arthouse distribution and exhibition sectors have felt the impact of the economic downturn, and IFFR hasn’t escaped the effects either. “We lost two major sponsors and we are feeling the crisis like everyone else”, Wolfson explains. If Cinema Reloaded signals IFFR’s refusal to scale back its ambitions, there has, inevitably, been a re-ordering of priorities elsewhere. Notably, this year sees fewer tie-in art exhibitions and installation works: “I’m a big supporter of doing these kind of exhibitions.
They’ve always been quite successful in terms of visitor numbers; some last year had around 2,500 admissions over ten days, which is quite a lot. But, at the same time, this figure is relatively small compared with the vast numbers coming to the other bits of the festival.” The emphasis is now on installations in the city centre, where guest attendance is most concentrated. “Within the Where is Africa strand – IFFR’s focus on African cinema – we have works by African filmmakers in front of the Schouwburg”, Wolfson says. “We’re also doing something with Sculpture International Rotterdam, an outdoor piece by Yohei Taneda, who’s a production designer for Tarantino, among others. Although we have less, these works are situated closer to the city centre, so a higher percentage of people will see these works.” With only a few final preparations left before IFFR goes public, Wolfson allows himself a moment to think about what he’s most looking forward to: meeting the filmmakers, he says, with a particular mention for Harmony Korine, of whom he is a longtime fan. Then it’s back to his desk, the TV crew following closely behind.