Rotterdam Fest Highlights Forgotten Film History With “Cinema Regained” Program
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled its “Cinema Regained” program for 2025, featuring 43 restored classics, documentaries, and film heritage explorations. The strand includes both contemporary works and pre-1970 restorations.
Key premieres include Mousso Fariman — the first film from Burkinabé director Drissa Touré (Haramuya) in 30 years, co-directed with Stéphane Mbanga — and The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov, a tribute to the late, legendary Soviet filmmaker Sergei Parajanov, from director Ali Khamraev. The film will screen in Rotterdam 38 years after Parajanov and co-director Dodo Abashidze’s The Legend of Suram Fortress premiered at IFFR in 1987, winning the prize for best innovative film.
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The Cinema Regained program will also show a restored version of José álvaro Morais’s The Jester, which was first screened at IFFR in 1988.
Other highlights include Lee Taewoong’s Korean Dream: The Nama-jinheung Mixtape, examining Korean Cold War history through archival footage; Khavn’s AI-driven Bomba Bernal, which pays homage to Filipino genre cinema; and Saeed Nouri’s Tehran, An Unfinished History, a deep dive into pre-1979 Iranian cinema.
Women filmmakers feature prominently, with Katha from veteran Indian director Sai Paranjpye; Vani Subramanian’s documentary Cinema Pe Cinema: The Theatres. The Movies. And Us; and Oyoyo, a drama from Gujarati filmmaker Chetna Vora, which examines foreign student life in the German Democratic Republic-
Forgotten or under-appreciated film culture is another thematic thread, with such titles as Hafiz Rancajale’s Bachtiar, a look at the suppressed legacy of the late Indonesian director Bachtiar Siagian; and Edgar Georg Ulmer’s Cossacks in Exile (1939) representing Ukrainian exile cinema; and Ramón Rivera Moret’s Todo parecía posible, examining rural filmmaking in Puerto Rico.
The 54th IFFR runs Jan. 30-Feb. 9.
IFFR 2025 Cinema Regained Program
?Homofobia! (European Premiere) dir. Goyo Anchou Argentina, 2024
Bachtiar (World Premiere) dir. Hafiz Rancajale Indonesia, 2025
Bomba Bernal (World Premiere) dir. Khavn Philippines, 2025
Cast of Shadows (World Premiere) dir. Sami van Ingen Finland, 2025
Cinema Pe Cinema: The Theatres. The Movies. And Us (European Premiere) dir. Vani Subramanian India, 2025
Cossacks in Exile dir. Edgar G. Ulmer United States, 1939
Erz?hlungen eines Kinogehers (World Premiere) dir. Christiane Büchner Germany, 2025
I Am with a Monk dir. Khom Akadet Thailand, 1984
Kaja, I’ll Kill You! dir. Vatroslav Mimica Croatia, Yugoslavia, 1967
Katha dir. Sai Paranjpye India, 1983
Korean Dream: The Nama-jinheung Mixtape (International Premiere) dir. Lee Taewoong South Korea, 2024
Mousso fariman (World Premiere) dir. Drissa Touré, Stephane Mbanga Burkina Faso, 2025
Negligence dir. Ali Kasmaie Iran, 1953
No Magic for Socialists (World Premiere) dir. Htoo Lwin Myo Myanmar, 2025
Someone Else’s Children dir. Tengiz Abuladze Georgia, 1958
Tehran, An Unfinished History (World Premiere) dir. Saeed Nouri Iran, 2025
The Grey Machine (World Premiere) dir. Péter Lichter Hungary, Estonia, 2025
The Jester dir. José álvaro Morais Portugal, 1987
The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov (World Premiere) dir. Ali Khamraev Armenia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Italy, 2025
The Red Badge of Courage dir. John Huston United States, 1951
The Wide World of Mystery: House and the Brain dir. Gloria Monty United States, 1973
There’s a Fire Burning dir. Gustaf Molander Sweden, 1943
Todo parecía posible (World Premiere) dir. Ramón Rivera Moret United States, Puerto Rico, 2025
MID LENGTH:
La nott’e’l giorno dir. Gianni Castagnoli Italy, 1976
Notre Dame de la Croisette dir. Daniel Schmid Switzerland, 1981
Orangemond dir. Gabriele Denecke Germany, 1980
Oyoyo dir. Chetna Vora Germany, 1980
The Classic Ghosts: Deadly Visitor dir. Lela Swift United States, 1973
The Death of Dracula (World Premiere) dir. Attila G?dri, Gyopár Buzási, Flóra Kovács, Szabolcs Sztercey, Orsolya Orbán, Boglárka Angéla Farkas, Nóra Miklós, Zsófia Makkai Romania, Hungary, France, 2025
Was die Nacht spricht – eine Erz?hlung (World Premiere) dir. Hans Scheugl Austria, 2025
SHORT:
Itinéraire de Jean Bricard (Dutch Premiere) dir. Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet France, 2007
Kiss dir. Varun Grover India, 2021
Lantern Magic (World Premiere) dir. Adam Barker-Mill United Kingdom, 2025
Las manos del hombre dir. Jack Delano Puerto Rico, 1952
Modesta dir. Benjamin Doniger Puerto Rico, 1956
Neige dir. Roland Truffaut France, 2024
o.T. (Dokument Nr. 1)(Helmut Waldemar / Winchester Banz) (World Premiere) dir. Jürgen Heiter Germany, 2025
Ode to R.G. Springsteen dir. John Winn United States, 2024
S. Parajanov. Delayed Premiere (International Premiere) dir. Yuriy Repik Ukraine, 1995
Saturn Return dir. Daniela Zahlner Austria, 2024
The Geneva Mechanism: A Ghost Movie dir. Péter Lichter Hungary, 2024
Una voz en la monta?a dir. Amilcar Tirado Puerto Rico, 1952
Where Russia Ends dir. Oleksiy Radynski Ukraine, 2024
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