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IFFR 2019

Sacha Polak’s Dirty God to open the 48th IFFR

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- The latest films by Andrés Duque, Eva Ionesco and Fabienne Godet are to be showcased in the Voices section

Sacha Polak’s Dirty God to open the 48th IFFR
Dirty God by Sacha Polak

The 48th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will run from 23 January-3 February 2019, and local filmmaker Sacha Polak’s latest feature, Dirty God [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sacha Polak
film profile
]
, 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.

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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 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, with the world premiere of his poetic essay Karelia: International with Monument [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, 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 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, which follows three heroes looking for love in Tehran through their bittersweet, melancholic stories.

Movies by two French filmmakers will have their international openings in IFFR’s Voices: Eva Ionesco (My Little Princess [+see also:
trailer
interview: Anamaria Vartolomei
film profile
]
) with her latest feature set during the height of the disco craze, A Golden Youth [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, starring Isabelle Huppert and Melvil Poupaud (see the news); and Fabienne Godet with Our Wonderful Lives [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabienne Godet
film profile
]
(see the news). Finally, Saverio Costanzo’s eight-part series adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel, My Brilliant Friend [+see also:
series review
series profile
]
, about two best friends in 1950s Naples (see the review), will also be showcased in Voices.

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" [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Radu Jude (Romania/Czech Republic/France/Bulgaria/Germany)
Belmonte [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Federico Veiroj (Uruguay/Mexico/Spain)
BNK48: Girls Don't Cry - Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Thailand)
Karelia: International with Monument [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Andrés Duque (Spain)
Cities of Last Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Ho Wi Ding (Taiwan/China/USA/France)
Between Two Waters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isaki Lacuesta
film profile
]
- Isaki Lacuesta (Spain/Switzerland/Romania)
Genesis - Philippe Lesage (Canada)
My Brilliant Friend [+see also:
series review
series profile
]
- Saverio Costanzo (Italy/USA)
A Golden Youth [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Eva Ionesco (France/Belgium)
Knife + Heart [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolas Maury
interview: Yann Gonzalez
film profile
]
- 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 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabienne Godet
film profile
]
- Fabienne Godet (France)
The River [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emir Baigazin
film profile
]
- Emir Baigazin (Kazakhstan/Poland/Norway/Netherlands)
Rosie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Paddy Breathnach (Ireland)
Tehran: City of Love [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- 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)

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