International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has appointed Vanja Kaludjercic as its new festival director. She will succeed current director Bero Beyer as IFFR’s artistic voice effective February 2020, a press release announced.
Kaludjercic will attend and observe IFFR’s next edition, which takes place January 22-February 2, before officially taking on her new post. As fest director, she will collaborate with managing director Marjan van der Haar. The first fest they lead together, the 2021 edition, will mark IFFR’s 50th anniversary.
“I look forward to extending the festival’s long-standing reputation for supporting and spearheading the careers of young and upcoming filmmakers worldwide,” Kaludjercic said. “I admire the festival’s renown for close ties between industry and public, and its extensive support for filmmakers – including the Tiger Competition and Bright Future Competition, as well as the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) program. I am excited to join the team and I look forward to leading IFFR’s artistic developments in the years to come.”
Van der Haar added, “Vanja’s established voice and bold ideas are sure to benefit IFFR’s ambitions and the festival’s ability to bridge new talent and independent films with wider audiences. Her appreciation of the international landscape is extensive and she is well aware of the challenges that independent artistic films and filmmakers are facing. I strongly believe that together, we can make a difference and strengthen the position of the festival as a global platform for talent.”
Currently the director of acquisitions at streamer MUBI, Kaludjercic previously worked at IFFR from 2016-2018, when she streamlined IFFR Talks & Masterclasses. She has held roles at Sarajevo Film Festival, Les Arcs European Film Festival, Cinéma du Reel, and CPH:DOX, and served on the jury at the latter, Berlinale, and International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, among other fests. Kaludjercic also worked in acquisitions at Parisian sales production company Coproduction Office and Slovene distributor Demiurg.
