John Lithgow, Hiam Abbass and Valeria Golino Among Speakers at Rotterdam Film Festival

International Film Festival Rotterdam has revealed its lineup of talks for its 55th edition, which runs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8. Speakers include U.S. actor John Lithgow, Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (“Succession”) and Italian actress Valeria Golino (“Rain Man”).

It will again present two distinct strands of conversations: Big Talks, featuring dialogues between experts from diverse disciplines, and Tiger Talks, offering explorations of film-related themes and addressing issues including feminism, the legacy of colonialism, and cinema’s sociopolitical role.

In addition, the IFFR Pro Dialogues program of industry-focused discussions will be held during the IFFR Pro Days, running between Jan. 30 and Feb. 4.

Vanja Kaludjercic, festival director at IFFR, said: “Through IFFR’s distinct programming, we’re committed to opening a space for ideas that captivate, inspire and entertain – and our Talks lineup is an integral part of delivering on this. We hope this year’s offering will again spark vital dialogue and engagement by giving audiences a thought-provoking array of discussions, each offering fresh perspectives and unexpected discoveries.”

The full lineup of Talks is as follows:

BIG TALKS

A Queer Family Affair
A special festival Big Talk with the cast of “Jimpa” (IFFR 2026). Hanna van Vliet will moderate a conversation with actor John Lithgow and the Dutch cast (including Hans Kesting, Romana Vrede and Zoë Love Smith), for a conversation exploring the film’s creative origins, cross-cultural collaboration and themes of identity, legacy and chosen family.

Kleber Mendonça Filho and Carla Simón
Directors Kleber Mendonça Filho (“The Secret Agent”) and Carla Simón discuss how cinema can give form to memory, while blending realism with genre on one side and formal experimentation with deeply personal storytelling on the other.

Marwan Hamed and Yousry Nasrallah
Join two legends of Egyptian cinema in conversation. Egyptian filmmaker Marwan Hamed – whose works are celebrated in IFFR’s 2026 retrospective – sits down with director Yousry Nasrallah for an in-depth talk. The pair will discuss Hamed’s biopic “El Sett” (IFFR 2026) as well as highlights from their filmmaking careers.

Nicolas Becker and Simon Fisher Turner
A Big Talk featuring French composer and sound engineer Nicolas Becker (“Krakatoa,” IFFR 2026), winner of an Academy Award for Best Sound for “Sound of Metal,” and actor, musician, and sound designer Simon Fisher Turner (“Heart of Light – Eleven Songs for Fiji,” IFFR 2026), famous for his extensive collaborations with Derek Jarman. They will discuss the creative processes behind some of cinema’s most iconic sound designs and music scores, as well as the rich variety of interdisciplinary collaborations that continue to nurture and expand their artistic research.

Robby Müller Award: Yorick Le Saux
Two films in IFFR 2026, “The Wizard of the Kremlin” and “Father Mother Sister Brother,” showcase the work of cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, winner of this year’s Robby Müller Award. Le Saux will discuss his cinematographic approach, his inspirations and highlights from his extensive oeuvre.

Valeria Golino and Hiam Abbass
Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (“Palestine 36,” “The Arab,” IFFR 2026) and Italian actress Valeria Golino (“Fuori,” IFFR 2026) will discuss their international careers, spanning arthouse cinema and acclaimed television series. Drawing on their experience, they’ll reflect on the processes through which they shape their characters.

TIGER TALKS

The Decolonizing Imagination of Collectif Faire-Part
Collectif Faire-Part is an ensemble of Belgian and Congolese artists exploring Belgium’s colonial history, contemporary power dynamics and collective resistance rooted in decolonization. This talk, organized for the collective’s first international retrospective, brings together all four members: Paul Shemisi, Anne Reijniers, Rob Jacobs and Nizar Saleh.

A Language to Build With
In this conversation, Art Directions artists Silvia Gatti (“Preludio,” installation, IFFR 2026) and Jacco Gardner (“Alterity,” installation, IFFR 2026), as well as video game pioneer Jeff Minter talk about their creative processes and how they incorporate “machines” into their work. These artists all explore language through technology in games, performances and sculptural installation. They develop their own computer languages, make machines talk, use AI to aid in memory and reflection, and build installations with languages spoken by humans and computers alike. Moderated by Sanneke Huisman.

Life Lessons from Women Filmmakers
The founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW) 60 years ago signaled a new era for feminism and filmmaking by women. What has changed in the decades since? What are the new problems that women who want to make films face? The panel will feature, among others, Renata Gąsiorowska, Laura Laabs and Andrea Luka Zimmerman.

Tetsuya Maruyama – Small Gauge, Small Means, Big Effect
A conversation looking at the work of Tetsuya Maruyama. We will hear how he begins a project, his approach, and what inspires him. While he works mostly in analogue film, his practice spans performance, installation, text and found sound compilations. Moderated by Lichun Tseng.

V-Cinema: The Other History of Japanese Film
Okawa Toshimichi and Tsuruta Norio are two of the most influential Japanese filmmakers of the past 40 years. In this conversation they talk about working in V-Cinema and their position in Japanese film history.

Queerness and 21st Century Politics
This panel reflects on queerness as a creative force. The discussion explores how queer perspectives open up alternative ways of imagining, making and experiencing film.

GUESTS AT IFFR
Guests presenting films at this month’s International Film Festival Rotterdam will include the directors of three films shortlisted for the Oscar for International Feature Film: “The Secret Agent” director Kleber Mendonça Filho, “Sound of Falling” director Mascha Schilinski and “Palestine 36” helmer Annemarie Jacir.

Other guests include actress Tilda Swinton and director Cynthia Beatt, who will present “Heart of Light – Eleven Songs for Fiji,” Olivier Assayas, director of “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” Mario Martone, director of “Fuori,” Ildikó Enyedi, director of “Silent Friend,” Sergei Loznitsa, director of “Two Prosecutors,” Kent Jones, director of “Late Fame,” and actress Pom Klementieff and director Guillaume Nicloux, with “Mi amor.”

Further guests include Malek Bensmail and Nabil Asli (“The Arab”), Pascal Bonitzer (“Hugo”), Alauda Ruíz de Azua (“Sundays”), David Verbeek and Jessica Reynolds (“The Wolf, the Fox, the Leopard”), Nanouk Leopold (“Whitetail”), Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Gigi Saul Guerrero and Eugenio Rubio (“Talking to a Stranger”), Riccardo Milani (“Life Is Life”), Andrea di Stefano (“My Tennis Maestro”) and Christoffer Boe (“Special Unit – The First Murder”).