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Rotterdam International Film Festival · 2026

Rotterdam International Film Festival 2026

Harbour

Programme

10 films · 7 reviews

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Calle Málaga

Review preview for Calle Málaga

This isn’t a fuzzy celebration of making do with what you have as you get older but of embracing the passions that endure.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
An aging Spanish woman in Tangier resists her daughter's decision to sell her home. Determined to stay, she does everything she can to keep her home and reclaim the belongings of a lifetime.

(Country: France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Morocco; Year: 2025; Director: Maryam Touzani; Writer: Maryam Touzani; Stars: Marta Etura, Carmen Maura, María Alfonsa Rosso, Miguel Garcés, Ahmed Boulane)

Full review

Dolores

On the eve of her 65th birthday, Dolores has a premonition: her life is about to change. She will own a successful casino. However, her gambling addiction of the past may work against her.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2025; Director: Maria Clara Escobar , Marcelo Gomes)

Earth Song (Maan laulu)

Review preview for Earth Song

The most suggestive work is done through sensory motifs.

Edin Custo · 2.5 out of 5
The story of Rojin, a Kurdish-Finnish doctor, who uncovers a family secret that challenges everything she thought she knew.

(Country: Finland, Germany; Year: 2026; Director: Erol Mintaş; Writer: Erol Mintaş, Mikko Viljanen; Stars: Dilan Gwyn, Feyyaz Duman, Zenan Tünc, Ali Seçkiner Alıcı, Nicola Perot)

Full review

Far From Maine

Review preview for Far From Maine

A documentary that refuses the audience the comfort of taking the “right” position and being done with it.

Edin Custo · 3.5 out of 5
Haunted by the killing of his Palestinian childhood friend Aseel Asleh by Israeli police in 2000, Roy Cohen revisits their friendship through a cinematic letter addressed to Aseel.

(Country: Israel, Palestinian Territory, US, France, Italy, Hungary; Year: 2026; Director: Roy Cohen)

Full review

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.

(Country: Philippines, Australia; Year: 2025; Director: James J Robinson; Writer: James J Robinson; Stars: Ruby Ruiz, Kare Adea, Maricel Soriano, Emmanuel Santos)

Full review

Landmarks (Nuestra Tierra)

Armed men killed Indigenous leader Javier Chocobar during attempted eviction in Argentina, 2009. After years of protests, a court case opened in 2018. This is a story of community voices and trial footage amid colonial land struggles.

(Country: Argentina, US, Mexico, France, Netherlands, Denmark; Year: 2025; Director: Lucrecia Martel; Writer: María Alché, Lucrecia Martel; Stars: Comunidad Chuschagasta, Javier Chocobar)

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.

(Country: US; Year: 2025; Director: John Early; Writer: John Early; Stars: Kristen Johnston, Vanessa Bayer, Kate Berlant, Conner O'Malley)

Full review

Sirât (Sirat)

Review preview for Sirât

The film looks amazing, but it sounds even more incredible.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
A father arrives at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco with his son, looking for his daughter who has been missing for months.

(Country: Spain, France; Year: 2025; Director: Óliver Laxe; Writer: Santiago Fillol, Óliver Laxe; Stars: Sergi López, Bruno Núñez)

Full review See: Interview with Kangding Ray about Sirât

Sundays (Los Domingos)

Ainara, an idealistic and brilliant 17-year-old has to decide what university degree to pursue — or at least that's what her family hopes she will do. However, the young woman says she feels increasingly closer to God and is considering embracing the life of a cloistered nun.

(Country: Spain, France; Year: 2025; Director: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa; Stars: Blanca Soroa, Patricia López Arnaiz, Miguel Garcés, Juan Minujín, Mabel Rivera, Nagore Aranburu)

A Useful Ghost (Pee Chai Dai Ka)

Review preview for A Useful Ghost

Not only ambitious – a term often used to damn films with faint praise – but successfully so.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing the vacuum cleaner. But to become a useful ghost, she first needs to get rid of the useless ones.

(Country: Thailand; Year: 2025; Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke; Writer: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke; Stars: Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wisarut Homhuan)

Full review See: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke on mixing things up in A Useful Ghost