The 48^th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will run from 23 January-3 February 2019, and local filmmaker Sacha Polak’s latest feature, Dirty God [+lire aussi :
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interview : Sacha Polak
fiche film], will enjoy its world premiere as the opening film of this edition. Furthermore, the first batch of selections for Voices has been confirmed.

Dirty God, which was produced by Marleen Slot for Viking Film, is a gripping portrait of Jade, a young mother portrayed by first-time actress Vicky Knight, and deals with the themes of courage, self-acceptance and motherhood in modern-day London. This is also the English-language debut for Polak, and after its premiere at IFFR, the movie will travel to the Sundance Film Festival (see the news), making it the first-ever Dutch film to participate in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.

IFFR director Bero Beyer stated: “We’re very proud to announce that this intensely powerful and emotional film by a daring Dutch filmmaker will give a flying start to our 48th edition. Dirty God grabs you by the throat while at the same time sketching a complex, multi-layered image of a strong woman dealing with her difficult situation. This grandiose work of cinema goes beyond the superficial to pose questions of guilt and beauty, hate and fear, strength and femininity.”

In the Voices section, Barcelona-based filmmaker Andrés Duque returns to IFFR after his previous documentary, Oleg and the Rare Arts [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], with the world premiere of his poetic essay Karelia: International with Monument [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], which explores the politics and the history of the Russian-Finnish border region of Karelia. Also, Ali Jaberansari will get an international premiere for his Tehran: City of Love [+lire aussi :
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Movies by two French filmmakers will have their international openings in IFFR’s Voices: Eva Ionesco (My Little Princess [+lire aussi :
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interview : Anamaria Vartolomei
fiche film]) with her latest feature set during the height of the disco craze, A Golden Youth [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], starring Isabelle Huppert and Melvil Poupaud (see the news); and Fabienne Godet with Our Wonderful Lives [+lire aussi :
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interview : Fabienne Godet
fiche film] (see the news). Finally, Saverio Costanzo’s eight-part series adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel, My Brilliant Friend [+lire aussi :
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Here is the list of titles announced so far for the Voices selection:

Voices

"I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians" [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Radu Jude (Romania/Czech Republic/France/Bulgaria/Germany)
Belmonte [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Federico Veiroj (Uruguay/Mexico/Spain)
BNK48: Girls Don't Cry - Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Thailand)
Karelia: International with Monument [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Andrés Duque (Spain)
Cities of Last Things [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Ho Wi Ding (Taiwan/China/USA/France)
Between Two Waters [+lire aussi :
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interview : Isaki Lacuesta
fiche film] - Isaki Lacuesta (Spain/Switzerland/Romania)
Genesis - Philippe Lesage (Canada)
My Brilliant Friend [+lire aussi :
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fiche série] - Saverio Costanzo (Italy/USA)
A Golden Youth [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Eva Ionesco (France/Belgium)
Knife + Heart [+lire aussi :
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interview : Nicolas Maury
interview : Yann Gonzalez
fiche film] - Yann Gonzalez (France/Switzerland/Mexico)
Fireflies - Bani Khoshnoudi (Mexico/USA/Greece/Dominican Republic)
Memories of My Body - Garin Nugroho (Indonesia)
The Mountain - Rick Alverson (USA)
Our Wonderful Lives [+lire aussi :
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interview : Fabienne Godet
fiche film] - Fabienne Godet (France)
The River [+lire aussi :
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interview : Emir Baigazin
fiche film] - Emir Baigazin (Kazakhstan/Poland/Norway/Netherlands)
Rosie [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Paddy Breathnach (Ireland)
Tehran: City of Love [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Ali Jaberansari (UK/Netherlands/Iran)
We're All Sailors - Miguel Ángel Moulet (Peru/Dominican Republic)
Vulnerable Histories (A Road Movie) - Koki Tanaka (Japan)
Widow of Silence - Praveen Morchhale (India)