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Festival coverage

Rotterdam International Film Festival

29 January – 8 February 2026

The 55th edition of the festival takes place from 29 January to 8 February 2026.

Latest reviews

  • The Stranger
    Review preview for The Stranger

    Ozon remains faithful to the source and keeps its sense of mystery but has strengthened the female characters

    Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
    Adaptation of Camus' classic.
  • First Light
    Review preview for First Light

    A thoughtful and lyrical film unafraid to do things differently.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    An elderly nun witnesses the aftermath of a young construction worker's fatal accident, compelling her to question the ethical principles of the institution she has devoted her life to.
  • The Wizard Of The Kremlin
    Review preview for The Wizard Of The Kremlin

    Dano has chosen to use the same flat vocal expression throughout, a technique well suited to satire which might have worked if only the rest of the film had been a bit more lively.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    Russia, early 1990s. Amid post-Soviet chaos, a brilliant young man, Vadim Baranov, charts his path. First an artist, then a reality show producer, he becomes the spin doctor to a rising KGB agent: Vladimir Putin.
  • Maddie's Secret
    Review preview for Maddie's Secret

    Maddie’s Secret is indeed a three-course meal, but it’s being served all at once on one plate

    Alex Petrescu · 3 out of 5
    A food influencer secretly struggles with bulimia as she navigates online fame, close friendships, and a painful past.
  • Yellow Cake
    Review preview for Yellow Cake

    Yellow Cake’s clunkiest habit, exposition as explanation rather than drama.

    Edin Custo · 2 out of 5
    When radical science backfires, miners and researchers confront apocalypse.
  • 100 Nights Of Hero
    Review preview for 100 Nights Of Hero

    Where the film succeeds is in the visual design of its world.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    A fairy tale about a maid who concocts a plan to help her mistress.
  • Bowels Of Hell
    Review preview for Bowels Of Hell

    The production values here are a cut above what one would normally expect for something with this theme and these characters.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A mother battling trauma faces a surreal nightmare when toilets mysteriously transform into killer beings, forcing her to confront both her personal demons and these bizarre supernatural threats.
  • Home
    Review preview for Home

    Home certainly screams, sometimes with urgency, sometimes with the strain of a story still too close to its maker.

    Edin Custo · 3 out of 5
    Migration story seen through the eyes of a young girl.
  • La Belle Année
    Review preview for La Belle Année

    Ruffier has an instinct for atmosphere. The documentary is undeniably visually appealing, attentive to texture, light, and the expressive clutter of a family interior.

    Edin Custo · 4 out of 5
    Revisiting a teenage crush on a teacher, Angelica Ruffier embarks on a delicate journey of memory and desire.
  • Butterfly
    Review preview for Butterfly

    Ambiguity can be a strategy, but here it often reads like evasiveness.

    Edin Custo · 2 out of 5
    Two half-sisters return to Gran Canaria after their mother's death.

A–Z of Rotterdam International Film Festival 2026 reviews

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