The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled the lineups for the Art Directions and new Lightroom immersive storytelling programs of its 2026 edition.
The 55th edition of the Dutch fest runs Jan. 29-Feb. 8.
Art Directions is IFFR’s “transformative” strand that “presents cinema beyond the traditional screening room – through immersive media, performances, installations and exhibitions.” Originally named Exploding Cinema, Art Directions is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026.
Meanwhile, Lightroom is a new industry platform for immersive storytelling, which brings together all XR, VR and interactive projects previously presented across its CineMart co-production market and Darkroom program.
“This year’s constellation of artists and filmmakers explores different dimensions and uses of film: as catharsis, as memory’s vessel, as a map of the subconscious, as a call to awareness,” said Eva Langerak, curator and coordinator of IFFR’s Art Directions & Lightroom. “Celebrating 30 years since IFFR’s Exploding Cinema ignited a dialogue between digital technology and cinematic language, Art Directions continues to shape the cultural landscape, nurturing bold experiments that stretch far beyond the screen. With Lightroom, IFFR renews that spirit of inquiry, forging a space where film, art and emerging technologies converge, allowing new forms of storytelling to emerge and take shape.”
IFFR organizers also said on Thursday that the sound//vision showcase will also return, “offering a series of live audio-visual performances that merge music with film, celluloid, and light. Co-curated by IFFR and Rotterdam’s WORM, the performances will run Jan. 30-Feb. 1.
‘If You See a Cat’
Here is a look at the Art Directions installations, immersive and other works.
3 Scenes From a Marriage by Leopold Emmen (Nanouk Leopold and Daan Emmen), 2026 (Netherlands) – World Premiere
Café Kuba: Who Dared to Awaken the Dead Memory by David Shongo, 2025 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Belgium) – Dutch Premiere
Krakatoa by Carlos Casas, 2026 (Spain, United Kingdom, Poland, France) – World Premiere
(This project will also be screened in film form in IFFR’s Harbour strand)
Preludio by Silvia Gatti, 2025 (Netherlands) – World Premiere
After the Game by Jana Stallein, 2025 (Germany) – World Premiere
The World Came Flooding in by Isobel Knowles & Van Sowerwine, 2025 (Australia) – International Premiere.
If You See a Cat by Atsushi Wada, 2025 (Japan) – Dutch Premiere
The Great Escape by Joren Vandenbroucke (Belgium, Luxembourg) – Dutch Premiere
The Great Orator by Daniel Ernst, 2025 (Netherlands) – Dutch Premiere.
Cycle by Matunda Groenendijk, Amit Palgi, 2026 (Netherlands) – Work in Progress
My Sweet Elora by Luuk Van Raamsdonk
Alterity by Jacco Gardner
Here is a look at the Lightroom lineup.
In-development:
Chemin des Bâtards, dir. Leon Rogissart
Produced by: BNA-BBOT (Belgium), UpscaleXR (Netherlands)
Les Gens de la Pluie, dir. Nicolas Blies & Stéphane Hueber-Blies (aka Bliesbro)
Produced by: a_BAHN (Luxembourg), Dark Euphoria (France)
Hiatus, dir. Laurent Novac, z1 Studio
Produced by: Tell me the Story (Switzerland)
Lueurs Intérieures, dir. Bianca Shonee Arroyo-Kreimes & Philippe Lambert
Produced by: SCINTILLA (Canada)
Mine Land, dir. & prod. Katja Verheul (Netherlands)
Works-in-progress:
Cléo, dir. Coco Chen
Produced by: Digital Art Foundation, National Taichung Theater (Taiwan)
The Demise of the ISS Leonardo, dir. Davide Maria Emanuel Cocchiara
Produced by: Abduct Media (Germany), UPscaleXR (Netherlands)
Jarkov, dir. Maya Watanabe
Produced by: Fondazione in Between Art Film (Italy), co-produced by the Mori Art Museum (Japan); produced with additional financial support from the Mondrian Fund (Netherlands).
NOX, dir. Rio Nakada
Produced by: Katsutoshi Machiba & Yayoi Nakada (Japan)
‘It’s too cold for the spirits to live here’
Here is a look at the sound//vision showcase.
DIsINCARNATE (I – III) by Cinzia Nistico, 2025 (Netherlands)
Echoes of Seeing #3 by Nan Wang, 2026 (Netherlands)
水托邦 (Hydrotopia) by Chiemi Shimada & Jamie Man, 2026 (United Kingdom)
It’s too cold for the spirits to live here by Tosca Schift, 2025 (Netherlands, Indonesia)
Pedra e Montanha by Tetsuya Maruyama, 2023 – ongoing (Brazil)
VJ Emmy: Ugandan live dubbing by VJ Emmy, 2026 (Uganda, Germany)