'Variations on a Theme' Courtesy of IFFR Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Variations on a Theme, a South African drama by directors Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar about an elderly goat herder who gets drawn into a scam offering overdue reparations for her father's unpaid wartime service, won the coveted Tiger Award for best competition film at the 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), led by fest director Vanja Kaludjercic and managing director Clare Stewart. Rezwan Shahriar Sumit's Master, tracing the rise of a teacher drawn into local politics in Bangladesh and moving from idealism to authoritarian impulses, won the Big Screen Competition. Related Stories Movies 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Star Gavin Casalegno to Lead Rom-Com 'Sunflower Child' (Exclusive) Movies U.K. Production Spend Hits $9B in 2025, Film Investment Sets Record Thanks to 'Wuthering Heights,' Beatles Movies and 'Avengers: Doomsday' The Tiger Competition jury said about Variations: "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." Meanwhile, the Big Screen Competition jury lauded Master this way: "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 versus corruption unfolds into something far more complex and layered." Also handed out in the Tiger Competition were special jury awards for La belle année by Angelica Ruffier, a hybrid doc that sees her diving into her own past and desire, her family, and her teenage crush on her teacher, as well as Ana Urushadze's Supporting Role. The latter sees a faded film star in Georgia returning to acting and discovering an industry that has left him behind. The jury lauded La belle année as "an intimate portrait of a woman dealing with grief and at the same time getting in touch with her first feelings of love and desire. The director, through an amazing craft of acting and directing, gives us a perspective on womanhood too rarely portrayed in cinema." About Supporting Role, it said: "The jury were impressed by the way this film deftly uses the craft of acting as a lens through which to explore the complexities of how we move through the world." The 2026 IFFR FIPRESCI Award was also bestowed upon Supporting Role. Also on Friday, the NETPAC Award, "awarded to the feature film from the Asia and Pacific regions by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema," was handed to i grew an inch when my father died by P. R. Monencillo Patindol, which examines grief, friendship and inherited violence in a rural community. Said the jury: "The film moved us all and is filled with hope that language of cinema can still be re-invented, genuinely exciting in its creative expression and its meaningful storytelling potential. In his debut film, the director approached this coming-of-age story with original, striking visual language that suitably expresses intimate life of the characters in their tender age."The NETPAC jury also honored a film with a special mention, namely The Seoul Guardians by Kim Jong-Woo, Kim Shin-Wan and Cho Chul-Young. Finally, Rotterdam's Youth Jury Award went to Ah Girl by Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, about a young girl caught in a war between her separated parents. IFFR 2026 runs through Sunday. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Movie News M. Night Shyamalan's Nicholas Sparks Movie Moves to 2027 Release Date Neon Neon Nabs 'Clarissa,' Starring Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, For U.S. Release trailers A Pickleball Sports Comedy Was Bound to Happen. Now There's a Trailer International Film Festival Rotterdam 'Special Unit - The First Murder' Director on Bringing a Modern Take on the "Danish FBI" 100 Years Ago to Cinemas, Led by 'Vikings' Star international 'Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest' Director on Her Feature Debut About Life Between Cultures and "Non-Judgment" (Exclusive Berlin Trailer) Heat Vision 'Predator: Badlands' Filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg Signs First-Look Deal With Paramount Movie News M. Night Shyamalan's Nicholas Sparks Movie Moves to 2027 Release Date Neon Neon Nabs 'Clarissa,' Starring Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, For U.S. Release trailers A Pickleball Sports Comedy Was Bound to Happen. Now There's a Trailer International Film Festival Rotterdam 'Special Unit - The First Murder' Director on Bringing a Modern Take on the "Danish FBI" 100 Years Ago to Cinemas, Led by 'Vikings' Star international 'Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest' Director on Her Feature Debut About Life Between Cultur