IFFR Plans Retrospectives for Katja Raganelli and Sergii Masloboishchykov, Marks Anniversary of Bandung Conference, Celebrates VHS Culture

International Film Festival Rotterdam, which runs Jan. 30 – Feb. 9, has revealed the lineup of its Focus section.

Retrospectives are given to the work of Croatian-German documentarian Katja Raganelli and Ukrainian auteur Sergii Masloboishchykov.

The 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, where the concept of the “Global South” was ignited, is marked with an exploration of the “film cultures of resistance and reform that it inspired,” according to a press statement.

The festival also dives into the legacy of VHS culture through screenings and community projects.

Focus: Katja Raganelli
Raganelli’s work, shown principally on television, directed attention to the history of women in filmmaking.

Films screening include “Margery Wilson – Vom Stummfilmstar Hollywoods zur Filmregisseurin” (1996), “Valie Export – Portrait einer Filmregisseurin” (1981), and “Die Liebe ist ein Mythos – Delpine Seyrig” (1978).

The Focus program will present her portraits of leading figures ranging from modern masters like Agnès Varda, Márta Mészáros and Valie Export to early pioneers such as Alice Guy-Blaché and Lotte Reiniger, alongside complementary titles from those filmmakers themselves.

The program highlights Raganelli’s “commitment to uncovering women’s cinematic contributions.

Focus: Sergii Masloboishchykov
Masloboishchykov takes center stage with the international premiere of his latest work, “Yasa” (2023), in another retrospective. This marks his return to IFFR three decades after the screening of his debut fiction feature, “Josephine, the Singer and the Mice People” (1994), which will be screened as part of the program alongside titles including “Own Voice” (2016).

Masloboishchykov’s films, spanning fiction and documentary formats, provide “a deeply personal yet nationally resonant perspective on Ukraine’s evolution.” From capturing the Maidan protests to chronicling the ongoing Russian invasion, his work “fuses personal concerns with questions regarding the fate of his nation.”

The retrospective offers “audiences a profound understanding of Ukraine’s cultural and political landscape through the lens of one of its most distinguished filmmakers.”

Focus: Bandung Conference
Next year marks the 70th anniversary of the Afro-Asian Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia, where 29 nations gathered to discuss economic and political unity, igniting the concept of what is now known as the “Global South.”

The event also inspired the Afro-Asian Film Festival, held three times: in Tashkent (1958), Cairo (1960) and Jakarta (1964).

Featuring a selection of films from these three festivals and films inspired by them and the “Bandung spirit,” along with panels and discussions, IFFR will “explore their legacy, the dreams they inspired and their relevance today.”

Focus: Hold Video in Your Hands
The world premiere of Alex Ross Perry’s documentary “Videoheaven,” which chronicles the history of video stores in Hollywood cinema, anchors a program celebrating “the community spirit of VHS culture.”

The program “examines the interplay of private and public film cultures.”

Rotterdam filmmaker Gyz La Rivière returns to the festival with the world premiere of his ode to the video store “Videotheek Marco,” an investigation into local video store history and connected activities like community television.

The program includes screenings of a diverse offer like the Indian documentary “Videokaaran” (2011) and David Cronenberg’s latest, “The Shrouds” (2024), as well as interactive projects inviting Rotterdam citizens to share their personal home video stories.

Festival director Vanja Kaludjercic said: “With these four programs, IFFR offers a distinctive platform where cinematic artistry meets socio-political discourse and cultural reflection.

“Each of these programs is either the first of their kind or looks at the world through a new prism or point of view: on Katja Raganelli, whose work captures the evolution of women in filmmaking throughout the 20th century; and another on Sergii Masloboishchykov, the Ukrainian filmmaker documents the recent history of his country.

“We’ll explore the global significance of the 1955 Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung with a thematic exploration of cinemas of the Global South; and celebrate the community spirit, DIY creativity and unique viewing practices of VHS culture.

“From celebrating the contributions of underappreciated filmmakers to revisiting historical and cultural legacies with current resonance, the festival continues to create a space to collectively enjoy the power of cinema.”