The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has announced 8 films that will play at the 45th festival, which runs January 27th to February 7th, 2016. One of the titles selected for the line-up is Jerzy Skolimowski’s Irish/Polish co-production 11 Minutes.
The 2016 programme has 4 strands, having been stream-lined from the previous 14, titled: Bright Future, Voices, Deep Focus, and Perspectives. 11 Minutes plays in the Voices section, which is for films distinguished by mature quality and powerful, relevant content. It is joined in that strand by Laurie Anderson’s Heart of the Dog. The other films chosen include Yi Cui’s Of Shadows; Penny Lane’s NUTS! The Brinkley Story; Sergei Loznitsa The Event; Philippe Grandrieux’s Malgré la nuit; Steve Oram’s Aaaaaaaah!; and Alexander Sokurov’s Francofonia.
11 Minutes stars Richard Dormer (Good Vibrations, ’71, Game of Thrones) in the lead role of a film director. It follows the same 11 minutes in the lives of several different characters; young and old, prosperous and destitute. Some story elements surprisingly intertwine, others follow their own intricate rhythm. Some characters are shown just as they are about to make crucial life changing decisions, others are idly passing time, caught in the midst of their day?to?day routines. What they all have in common is an enigmatic sighting of the elusive dark spot, seen in the sky earlier that day, and the tragic chain of events that will seal their fate. What really caused it? Did all of them deserve it? Could any of them avoid it? What is the fabric of life? These lingering questions constitute the film’s underlying theme.
11 Minutes stars an ensemble of other Polish actors including Agata Buzek, Beata Tyszkiewicz and Mateusz Ko?ciukiewicz. It is produced by Ewa Piaskowska of Skopia Film and co-produced by Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney of Element Pictures. The film received funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.
11 Minutes was chosen by the Polish Film Institute to be Poland’s entry for Best Foreign Language film at the 88th Academy Awards. Also nominated from Ireland is Paddy Breathnach’s Viva, which is written by and features Mark O’Halloran. O’Halloran stars in another Irish film that was previously announced to play at IFFR, Fiona Tan’s Irish/Dutch/German co-production History’s Future. That film competes for the Hivos Tiger Awards Competition at the festival.