During the sold-out festival preview screening of the Spanish film El apóstata, the organization announced the Opening Film of the 5th edition of Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam.

This year, the organization chose the Brazilian feel-good drama Que horas ela volta? from Anna Muylaert.

Anna Muyleart (1964, Brazil) is a filmmaker and scriptwriter. After dropping out of São Paolo university’s film school, she worked as a film critic and TV reporter, before concentrating on making films. Her international breakthrough as a filmmaker was Que horas ela volta?, her fourth feature. The film won awards at many festivals, including Berlin and Sundance.

Generations, classes, men and women, rich and poor – almost everything clashes in Que horas ela volta?. The place where these worlds collide is Carlos, Barbara, and their son Fabinho’s modern villa. Since Fabinho was small, housekeeper Val has been like a second mother to him. As a result, she rarely saw her own daughter. Val rescues, cooks, cares and mothers the entire family to everyone’s satisfaction. When Val’s daughter Jessica suddenly turns up and wants to study at a prestigious university, she unintentionally brings the hidden social divides at the house to light. With an eye for detail, Muylaert compassionately and humorously typifies a small slice of society and an era in which the ruling classes will have to make room for a new, less servile generation.

Que horas ela volta? opens CIFFR 2016 on Wednesday 6 April at 20:00.

Tickets for the festival are for sale at the Box Office of The Cinemas starting Saturday 2 April at 10:00.

Nominees Short Movies Big Stories (SMBS) Award 2016

From all entries into the short movie competition, designed to discover young filmtalent, a local jury has selected a top three that will screen during the festival prior to a Yellow Robin Award nominee. The winner of the Short Movies Big Stories Award 2016 (a trip to the Netherlands to attend (part of) IFFR 2017 and screening of the film in the education program) and the runner-up (a cash prize of USD 500) will be announced at the Award Ceremony on Saturday 9 April at 19:00.

Short Movies Big Stories 2016 nominees are (in alphabetical order):

Drowning in Red from Maxine Russel – Curaçao (fiction / theme: I’ve Just Seen a Face)

Gula (Greed) from Oscar Orjuela – Colombia (fiction/animation / theme: It’s all too Beautiful)

Layo from Rovendley Welvaart – Curaçao (fiction / theme: C’est la vie)