Ella Kemp chats with IFFR programmer Ronny Theeuwes.

For those working behind the scenes to bring movie fans some kind of normal experience in a most abnormal time, there are considerations at play affecting every decision in every day.

As the first part of the 50th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam comes to a close, the hybrid model of one of Europe’s most welcoming and enjoyable festivals teaches us about the importance of flexibility and innovation.

Ronny Theeuwes, one of the festival’s programmers, tells me how it was, of course, “a really weird year” to organize a film festival. For Rotterdam, too, it was a year where 50th-anniversary celebrations had to be reconfigured until the very last minute. “We were planning both a physical and online festival up until two weeks before the start, as a new lockdown was announced and we had to put all the preparation for the physical part in the bin.”

The result was a fully online experience, which Ronny says aimed to prioritise “flexibility to our viewers” while maintaining “fixed moments each day to connect.” Festival goers were able to enjoy films “together” thanks to a timed online premiere, and take part in a Q&A with filmmakers calling in from around the globe. But IFFR also understands that just because you’re stuck at home, it doesn’t mean you’re not doing anything. This is why every movie was also available on demand for 72 hours. “We know that being stuck at home does not mean you have time all day to be ready at a certain point in time,” Ronny explains.

One of IFFR’s strong suits has always been its interactive element: inviting filmmakers and creatives to talk about their work in and around screenings. This has continued into the online edition, with extended talks with filmmakers, actors and composers. Dea Kulumbegashvili and Nicolás Jaar, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kelly Reichardt and Mads Mikkelsen have all called in to the festival. Something for the whole family!

“The team had to adapt constantly. Organizing a festival from your home is just plain a weird thing to do, but I’m really happy with what we’re able to offer our audience, especially since the Netherlands is again in a lockdown and we have a curfew,” Ronny says. It is, above all else, about “moments to connect with each other, [which] we all missed so much”.

But this is certainly not the end for IFFR: the festival will be back with part two in June, and, pandemic allowing, in person this time. “Our hope is to welcome audiences back to cinemas then,” Ronny says. “Onwards to June, to have an IRL toast with all the viewers, volunteers, industry professionals, filmmakers, artists, journalists and everybody else, to celebrate our 50th edition.” We wouldn’t miss it for the world.