Forum collaboration with International Film Festival Rotterdam boosts local filmmaking
Updated: Sep 14
Groningen, 30 January 2026 – Between February 4th and 8th, Forum will embrace Rotterdam’s film festival atmosphere for the 29th year. The cultural center will screen 50 movies from the original programme, offering an opportunity for the local film industry to gain recognition.
“They want to make their festival accessible for a lot of people,” says Marjolein Bos, Forum’s communication advisor for film programming, about IFFR’s interest in making Groningen’s cultural hub a festival location.
The collaboration with the IFFR excites Dr. Dan Leberg, assistant professor in Film and Media Studies at the University of Groningen, about the contribution to the regional film culture.
“It’s not like there’s a talent void. There’s an infrastructure gap that doesn’t prevent people from making things, but it makes that harder. I think any way to keep Groningen on the psychological map of where meaningful arts events happen in the country is important.”
He is also pleased by IFFR’s programming structure, which has “a really nice balance of Dutch film showing.” This allows the Forum to connect movie enthusiasts in the region with the national film industry.
“If there are Dutch filmmakers, we also try to get them to come here for an introduction or after-talk with the audience so that we can give them an opportunity to tell something extra about their movies,” says Marjolein Bos.
“We can all stay in touch with the big new things because we have a venue downtown that can match the scale of what is otherwise one of the major European film festivals,” adds Dr. Leberg.
The Forum is also involved in the curation of what is being screened. “What we always take in are the biggest titles, but also smaller films that premiere at the festival in Rotterdam,” adds Bos.
It's specifically the latter that intrigues the film professor. “I like that they’re willing to take risks on new things,” says Dr. Leberg about IFFR’s programming. “My advice is to go for the thing that’s temporarily here, take 10 euros and just go find out.”
Besides the screenings, visitors can take part in a virtual reality experience and quizzes about the movies they attend. “It’s important to know that there is also another side of moviemaking and that it’s becoming more interactive,” adds Marjolein Bos.
This year’s edition appears to welcome more movie enthusiasts, with 600 more tickets sold compared to the same period last year, according to the communication advisor. “Overall, the IFFR is very popular here in Groningen. At the end of the festival, we usually sell about 10,000 tickets for those couple of days.
Story initially published on Under the RUG
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