IFFR 2026 will open with the world premiere of Providence and the Guitar by João Nicolau. Inspired by a short novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, the film follows Leon and Elvira, two performers trying to keep their stage careers afloat. Providence and the Guitar also marks the acting debut of Salvador Sobral, one of Portugal's most beloved musicians and the winner of Eurovision 2017. The festival will close with the world premiere of Rémi Bezançon's crime comedy Bazaar (Murder in the Building), starring Laetitia Casta, Gilles Lellouche and Guillaume Gallienne. The film follows an enthusiastic Hitchcock scholar who becomes convinced that the neighbour across the courtyard has murdered his wife.
At the heart of IFFR, the Tiger Competition showcases emerging voices from across the globe, with 12 world premieres from filmmakers who reshape the familiar from within, adjusting perspectives to reveal what often goes unnoticed. The 12 titles in the Big Screen Competition—which is dedicated to supporting the distribution of nominated films in the Netherlands—examine how lives are shaped by inherited stories, with many of the films revisiting the past to understand its pull on the present. The winning filmmaker(s) will be awarded €15,000 in prize money; additionally, IFFR offers €15,000 to the Dutch distributor that acquires the winning film's distribution rights, incentivising local distribution.
%20Foz%20-%20Gaumont%20-%20France%202%20Cinema.JPG "The Stranger. Image: Carole Bethuel")
The Displacement Film Fund was established to champion and fund the work of displaced filmmakers, or filmmakers with a proven track record in creating authentic storytelling on the experiences of displaced people. An initiative spearheaded by actor, producer and UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador, Cate Blanchett, the pilot scheme was announced at the 2025 edition of the festival and the Hubert Bals Fund is the Management Partner. Five short film production grants of €100,000 each were bestowed to Maryna Er Gorbach (Ukraine), Mo Harawe (Somalia-Austria), Hasan Kattan (Syria), Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran) and Shahrbanoo Sadat (Afghanistan), who will premiere their completed works at IFFR 2026.
Vanja Kaludjercic, Festival Director at IFFR, said: "The 2026 edition of IFFR unites new voices and returning artists whose works explore belonging, reinvention, humour, fear, beauty and the persistent human effort to understand our place in a changing world. We're also delighted the festival will open with João Nicolau's Providence and the Guitar—a generous and witty film which places the present alongside echoes of the past—while Rémi Bezançon's Bazaar (Murder in the Building) will close the festival with style, intelligence and a sense of fun. Across the programme, we hope every audience member will find a film that speaks to them—or challenges them—in a meaningful way.”
Source: IFFR
Images: THE PR FACTORY / Carole Bethuel
