COLOGNE, Germany – The Rotterdam international film festival continues to defend its reputation as the most defiantly art house of the major feasts and its 2012 lineup, announced Wednesday, doesn’t disappoint. Among the contenders for Rotterdam’s Tiger Awards this year are a Brazilian mystery story shot in black-and-white, a grim portrait of life in a rural Russian village and a Korean road movie shot in 3D, the first film in that format to screen at Rotterdam.
The Korean title, A Fish, from first-timer Park Hong-Min, is certain to attract attention at this year’s fest, which runs Jan. 27- Feb. 5.
But distributors looking for a possible cross-over hit are more likely to check out Black’s Game, an Icelandic drug drama from Oskar Thor Axelsson, which was executive produced by Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn and which will have its world premiere in Rotterdam.
Related Stories
In a similar vein, Tokyo Playboy Club, the sophomore entry from Japanese director Okuda Yosuke, is a more commercially-orientated feature, a gangster comedy set on the fringes of Japanese society.
Here’s the full list of Tiger Award contenders for 2012:
A Fish, dir. Park Hong-Min, South Korea (international premiere)
Black’s Game, dir. Oskar Thor Axelsson, Iceland (world premiere)
Clip, dir. Maja Milos, Serbia, (world premiere)
Egg and Stone, dir. Huang Ji, China, (world premiere)
In April the Following Year, There Was a Fire, dir. Wichanon Somumjarn, Thailand, (world premiere)
It Looks Pretty from a Distance, dir. Anka Sasnal & Wilhelm Sasnal, Poland, USA, (international premiere)
L, dir. Babis Makridis, Greece (European premiere)
Living, dir. Vasily Sigarev, Russia, (world premiere)
Neighbouring Sounds, dir. Kleber Mendonca Filho, Brazil, (world premiere)
Return to Burma, dir. Midi Z, Taiwan, Myanmar (European premiere)
Romance Joe, dir. Lee Kwang-Kuk, South Korea, (international premiere)
Southwest, dir. Eduardo Nunes, Brazil (European premiere)
Thursday Till Sunday, dir. Dominga Sotomayor, Chile/Netherlands (world premiere)
Tokyo Playboy Club, dir. Okuda Yosuke, Japan (European premiere)
Voice of My Father, dir. Orhan Eskikoy & Zeynel Dogan, Turkey, Germany (world premiere)
