The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) unveiled the winners of the IFFR Pro Awards of its 55th edition on Wednesday.
The winners were selected from the 21 projects at the 43rd edition of CineMart, alongside 10 projects for the work-in-progress platform Darkroom, nine immersive media projects under IFFR’s new industry platform for immersive storytelling Lightroom, and the four projects from Safe Harbour, the new market program designed to uplift projects in development from emerging filmmakers who have experienced displacement or forced migration and who face limited access to professional networks, funding and development opportunities.
“As our latest edition of IFFR Pro draws to a close, the breadth and evolution of this year’s program was a true reflection of our commitment to meeting filmmakers’ shifting needs,” said head of IFFR Pro Marten Rabarts.
Check out the full list of FFR Pro 2026 winners below.
4DR Studio Awards
Jury: Natasja Paulssen (4DR Studios), Isa de Koeijer (4DR Studios).
4DR Studios Award for Best Immersive Project in development
Chemin des Bâtards by Leon Rogissart, produced by BNA-BBOT, UpscaleXR and Muziektheater Transparant (Belgium, Netherlands)
4DR Studios Award for Best Immersive work-in-progress project in Lightroom
Cléo by Coco Chen, produced by Jolene Hsiao and Tsung Hsuan Yeh (Taiwan)
ArteKino International Award
Jury: Bero Beyer (Augustus Film), Gilles Duval (ARTE France Cinéma), Anton Scholten (Filmmore).
ArteKino offers an award, worth €6,000, to the producer of a standout project to support its development.
The Poet’s Son by Nicolas Graux, produced by Alice Antoine, Joseph Rouschop, Rebecca Houzel and Natalia Drozd (Belgium, France, Germany)
Jury statement: “The ArteKino International Award goes to a first feature project that brings humanity and poetry into a place of darkness in this perilous moment in time. Told by a convincing filmmaker, it is a personal, intimate story that transcends its actuality.”
Eurimages New Lab Awards
Jury: Stefan Prohorov (Bulgarian National Film Center), Frédéric Boyer (Tribeca Festival), Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska (Madants).
Eurimages offers two awards: an Outreach Award for Darkroom & Lightroom work-in-progress projects (€30,000) and an Innovation Award for CineMart & Lightroom projects in development (€20,000).
Innovation Award
Daughters of the Sea by Martika Ramirez Escobar, produced by Monster Jimenez and Rajiv Idnan (Philippines, Spain)
Jury statement: “For daring to rethink the conventions of filmmaking for the sake of artistic integrity and authentic cross-cultural storytelling, the innovation award goes to Daughters of the Sea by Martika Ramirez Escobar.”
Outreach Award
LFD Hope by Joshua Loftin, produced by Balint Revesz and Anna Vághy (United Kingdom, Hungary)
Jury statement: “For the audacity to treat fragility as a way to strengthen communities and paving a clear path towards inclusive dialogues on topics silenced by conformity.”
Filmmore Awards
Amsterdam-based Filmmore, a leading full-service post-production, editing and visual effects facility, offers two awards: a Filmmore Post-production Award (€7,500) to be used for visual effects and post-production for a CineMart project, and a Filmmore Work-in-progress Post-production Award (€5,000) for a Darkroom project.
Filmmore Work-in-progress Post-production Award
Jury: Igor Riabchuk (Filmmore), Gabor Greiner (Films Boutique).
The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs by Èlia Gasull Balada and Matteo Norzi, produced by Maria Altamirano (Peru, United States, Spain, Chile)
Jury statement: “The Hummingbird Paints Fragrant Songs captivated us with its scope and commitment – a film that transcends storytelling to become an act of purpose. We are honored to support a work that feels less like a project and more like a calling.”
Filmmore Post-Production Award
Jury: Bero Beyer (Augustus Film), Gilles Duval (ARTE France Cinéma), Anton Scholten (Filmmore).
Pale Faces by Chantel Clark, produced by Cait Pansegrouw and Frank Hoeve (Netherlands, South Africa)
Jury statement: “The Filmmore Award goes to a daring new co-production pushing the envelope of genre, relevance and historic conscience. The filmmakers ambitiously weave a rich tapestry of myth and research, folklore and colonialism.”
HBF Empowerment Award
Jury: Juliette Duret (BOZAR), Gabrielle Rozing (Imagine Filmdistributie), Jonas Chadarevian (São Paulo International Film Festival, MOSTRA).
Thanks to a private donor, the Hubert Bals Fund is granting the HBF Empowerment Award (€10,000) to a Darkroom project. The award empowers filmmakers who come from politically challenging contexts or whose work addresses themes such as freedom of expression, displacement, human rights and/or underrepresented communities.
Marina by Laís Santos Araújo and Pethrus Tibúrcio, produced by Pedro Krull (Brazil)
Jury statement: “We were seduced by this film from its first images – the main character’s emotion, motivation and doubts were all there. The jury unanimously decided to award this local story from an underrepresented region, made by underrepresented filmmakers but with global appeal.”
HBF x PUBLIKUM Audience Outreach Award
Jury: Rikke Flodin (PUBLIKUM.io), Danielle Guirguis (Smarthouse Creative Impact Studio).
The HBF x PUBLIKUM Audience Outreach Award (€9,000) is presented to a HBF-supported film project in development that demonstrates strong potential to engage a clearly defined or underserved audience. The award offers tailored consultancy from PUBLIKUM, supporting the project at a critical stage of development where audience insight can meaningfully inform creative choices, positioning and communication strategies. By strengthening the project’s audience awareness and impact readiness, the award helps filmmakers translate artistic vision into clear audience connection and market presence.
Coumba by Mamadou Dia, produced by Eugenie Michel Villette (Senegal, France)
New Impulse Award
Jury: Jannie Langbroek, Frank Peijnenburg.
Thanks to the generosity of a private donor, the New Impulse Award (€2,500) is given to one of the newly presented Safe Harbour projects.
Hidden Journey by Noura Adil (Sudan)
VIPO Award
Jury: Mika Morishita (VIPO), Yoshi Yatabe (VIPO), Nahoko Yamashita (VIPO), Kousuke Ono (VIPO).
The Visual Industry Promotion Organization dedicated to supporting Japan’s content industry internationally offers an award, worth €3,000, to an outstanding project with budgets where the award can make the most impact.
Neon Phantom by Leonardo Martinelli, produced by Felipe M. Bragança and Marina Meliande (Brazil)
Jury statement: “This work stands out for its fresh and engaging concept: it tells a universal story of youth and family through a musical, while exploring the nature of society through delivery work – a form of labour that symbolises our times. It shows remarkable creativity and exciting, limitless potential.”
