With Spanish director Pablo Berger in attendance to present his acclaimed Blancanieves, the second edition of the Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam opens Thursday 4 April in Willemstad's multiplex theatre The Cinemas. The festival offers forty-two features and short films including the Yellow Robin Award Competition and the world premiere of Salsa Giants by US/Venezuelan director Pablo Croce.

Yellow Robin Award Competition

In support of filmmaking talent from the Caribbean and Mexico, Curaçao IFFR teamed up with five partners from the region: Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC), Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Bahamas Film & Television Commission and Morelia Film Festival of Mexico (FICM). Each partner organization contributed one film to the Yellow Robin Award Competition. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000 and the winning film will be screened at IFFR 2014. Alongside the Yellow Robin Award Competition, the festival also organizes Short Movies, BIG Stories, a competition for short films by young local makers aged between 13 and 21.


Salsa Giants

Pablo Croce's documentary film Salsa Giants offers a behind-the-scenes look at the best living salsa players in the world, as they gather for an unprecedented historic reunion in the summer of 2012 at the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival. Featuring Marc Anthony, Oscar de León, Cheo Feliciano, Jose Alberto "El Canario", Tito Nieves and many more.


International guests

For introductions and Q&A sessions, Curaçao IFFR 2013 welcomes film directors Pablo Berger (Blancanieves, Spain/France), Sacha Gervasi (Hitchcock, USA), Bruno Safadi (Eden, Brazil), Álvaro Pastor (Yo, también, Spain), Pablo Croce (Salsa Giants, USA), Tanja Fraai & Mike Ho-Sam-Sooi (De wonderboom, Netherlands/Curaçao/Brazil) and Yellow Robin Award nominees Kareem Mortimer (Children of God, Bahamas), Esteban Insausti (Long Distance, Cuba) and Natalia Beristaín (She Doesn't Want to Sleep Alone, Mexico). During the week before the festival, US filmmakers Ben and Joshua Safdie (ao. Go Get Some Rosemary) came to Curaçao to conduct workshops on filmmaking.

Inspiration and support

Expanding and enhancing the range of films that can be seen in Willemstad, the Curaçao IFFR presents a high-quality choice of recent independent films, documentaries and shorts films from all over the globe. The event initiated by Curaçao-based Fundashon Bon Intenshon and co-organised with the International Film Festival Rotterdam wishes to inspire cinemagoers and support young talented filmmakers from around the region. The successful first edition in 2012 attracted some 7,000 visitors.

For all information about the 2nd Curaçao IFFR see www.curacaoiffr.com
Curaçao IFFR on YouTube: www.youtube.com/curacaoiffr
Curaçao IFFR on Facbook: www.facebook.com/CuracaoIFFR