Four Focus programmes at IFFR 2025 will celebrate the contributions of underappreciated filmmakers and revisit historical and cultural legacies, with the strands highlighting documentary filmmaker Katja Raganelli; Ukranian director Sergii Masloboishchykov; the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference; and VHS culture. The first titles in the programmes include world premieres of Alex Ross Perry's Videoheaven and Rotterdam filmmaker Gyz La Rivière’s Videotheek Marco.
Perry’s documentary Videoheaven (pictured above), which chronicles the history of video stores in Hollywood cinema, anchors Hold Video in Your Hands, a Focus programme celebrating the community spirit of VHS culture. This programme examines the interplay of private and public film cultures. Rotterdam filmmaker La Rivière returns to the festival with his ode to the video store Videotheek Marco (pictured below), an investigation into local video store history and connected audiovisual activities like community television.
As conversations evolve around streaming platforms and their impact on cinematic viewing practices, IFFR presents a timely exploration of VHS culture deeply rooted in community, creativity and unique viewing practices. This diverse programme includes film screenings ranging from the 2011 Indian documentary Videokaaran to David Cronenberg’s latest, The Shrouds (pictured top), as well as interactive projects inviting Rotterdam citizens to share their personal home video stories, creating a communal cinematic experience.
Source/images: IFFR
