The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has announced the first selection for its Short & Mid-Length Film program, highlighting the return of established filmmakers, including German director Helena Wittmann, who will present the world premiere of her short film A Thousand Waves Away.

Wittmann, known for her visual and sensory exploration of marine landscapes in the acclaimed feature Drift (IFFR 2018), returns to the festival with a proposal that promises to continue her fascination with the oceans, but from a new perspective. A Thousand Waves Away delves into the symbiotic relationship between humans and the sea, unfolding a narrative that moves between contemplation and sensory experience.

The short film is shaping up to be an immersion into a space where waves and time seem to blur physical boundaries. The film invites reflection on the vastness of the ocean, not only as a physical space but also as a place of memory and transformation. Wittmann uses sound and image to construct a cinematic experience that transcends linear storytelling, plunging the viewer into an intimate and poetic journey.

Among the most anticipated proposals is B and S, directed by Indian filmmaker Lipika Singh Darai, an intimate exploration of the friendship between two trans women. The filmmaker returns to the festival following the screening of her short film Night and Fear and the support from the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) for her feature Birdwoman in 2023.

From Portugal, Nuno Boaventura Miranda will present The Last Harvest, a portrait of three characters struggling to find their place in the Cape Verdean community of Lisbon. Miranda returns to Rotterdam after the success of Kmêdeus in 2020, also supported by the HBF.

Brazilian cinema will also be represented with the debut of Pethrus Tibúrcio, who will present the short film Tell Her What Happened to Me, after co-directing Marina, a project backed by CineMart and the HBF in 2021.

From the United States, regular festival director Andrew Norman Wilson returns with Silvesterchlausen, a documentary about a mysterious tradition celebrated every New Year’s Eve in Appenzell, Switzerland. Additionally, Serbian director Stefan Ivančić will present the world premiere of Upon Sunrise, a poignant portrait of a single mother in Serbia. Ivančić is known for his participation in IFFR 2014 with Soles de primavera and his work as a producer on The Load (2019).

All confirmed titles to date: LINK.