'Variations On A Theme', 'Master' Win Top Awards At Rotterdam
Variations On A Theme, from South African filmmakers Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, won the Tiger Award at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Master, from Bangladesh’s Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, took the top award in the Big Screen Competition.
Set in South Africa’s Kamiesberge mountain range, Variations On A Theme tells the story of a woman drawn into a scam offering overdue reparations for her father’s unpaid wartime service.
The jury said: “Possessing a deep poetic language, we found this to be a thoughtful and moving portrait of a community living under the spectre of colonial legacies and familial bonds in this world and the next. The jury were unanimous in our decision and have great affection for this film.”
Special Jury Awards in the Tiger Competition went to La Belle Année, a portrait of a woman dealing with grief from Swedish director Angelica Ruffier, and Ana Urushadze’s Supporting Role, about an formerly famous actor in Georgia, reluctantly pursuing a role in a young director’s film. Supporting Role also picked up the FIPRESCI Award.
The Tiger Competition Jury consisted of Soheila Golestani, Marcelo Gomes, Ariane Labed, Kristy Matheson and Jurica Pavičić. The main Tiger Award comes with a cash prize of €40,000, while the two Special Jury Awards are worth €10,000 each.
Master, which won the Big Screen Award, is the story of a teacher drawn into politics in the run-up to Bangladesh’s July Revolution in 2024. The jury stated: “This is a universal story about a person striving to hold on to their moral compass, only to be reshaped by the persuasive and destructive forces of power and capitalism. What begins as a seemingly straightforward tale of idealism vs corruption unfolds into something far more complex and layered.”
The Big Screen Award comes with a cash prize of €15,000. Additionally, IFFR offers €15,000 to the Dutch distributor that acquires the film’s distribution rights, incentivising local distribution. The Big Screen competition jury consisted of Jan-Willem van Ewijk, Sara Ishaq, Loes Luca, Chris Oosterom and Mila Schlingemann.
Among other winners at the festival, the NETPAC Award was presented to i grew an inch when my father died, a complex coming-of-age tale from the Philippines' P. R. Monencillo Patindol; while the NETPAC special mention went to The Seoul Guardians, co-directed by Korea's Kim Jong-Woo, Kim Shin-Wan and Cho Chul-Young, about the protests against the declaration of Martial Law in late 2024.
The Youth Jury Award was presented to Ah Girl, a feature debut from Singapore's Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, about a young girl caught in a war between her separated parents.
IFFR 2026 FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
Tiger Competition Award: Variations On A Theme (South Africa, Netherlands, Qatar), dirs: Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar
Special Jury Awards:
La Belle Année (Sweden, Norway), dir: Angelica Ruffier
Supporting Role (Georgia, Estonia, Turkey, Switzerland, US) dir: Ana Urushadze
Big Screen Award: Master (Bangladesh), dir: Rezwan Shahriar Sumit
FIPRESCI Award: Supporting Role (Georgia, Estonia, Turkey, Switzerland, US) dir: Ana Urushadze
NETPAC Award: i grew an inch when my father died (Philippines), dir: P. R. Monencillo Patindol
NETPAC Jury Special Mention: The Seoul Guardians (Korea), dirs: Kim Jong-Woo, Kim Shin-Wan & Cho Chul-Young
Youth Jury Award: Ah Girl (Singapore), dir: Ang Geck Geck Priscilla
