Marten Rabarts Returns to Netherlands as Head of Rotterdam Film Festival’s IFFR Pro – Global Bulletin

GOING DUTCH (AGAIN)

The International Film Festival Rotterdam has appointed Marten Rabarts to the position of head of IFFR Pro, its market strand, effective immediately. Recently, Rabarts served as festival director at the New Zealand International Film Festival. His extensive global career also has significant legacy in the Netherlands, both as head of EYE International (now SeeNL) – where he was responsible for the promotion of Dutch film and film culture worldwide for four years and as artistic director of the Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam for 12 years. Rabarts will work closely with IFFR’s festival director, Vanja Kaludjercic, and report into chief of content, Melissa van der Schoor.

The IFFR Pro remit covers the co-production market CineMart, Pro Hub and talent development programs, including Rotterdam Lab. The festival regards it as nurturing talent and providing them with the tools and networks to develop projects and careers.

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The 54th edition of IFFR will take place from Jan. 30 – Feb. 9, 2025, with the IFFR Pro operating Jan. 31- Feb. 5.

BHATT SERIOUSLY

Yash Raj Films has slated “Alpha,” its first female-led spy thriller, for a Dec. 25, 2025 release. Alia Bhatt and Sharvari star as agents in the YRF Spy Universe entry, directed by Shiv Rawail.

MONETIZATION MAN

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani‘s Indian streaming platform JioCinema has named Ishan Chatterjee as its new chief business officer. In this role, Chatterjee will oversee monetization efforts, including revenue growth across sports and entertainment content. Chatterjee joins JioCinema from YouTube India, where he served as managing director. His career spans over 20 years, including 13 years at Google and stints at McKinsey and Hindustan Unilever. He is an alumnus of The Wharton School and St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

The appointment aligns with JioCinema’s stated goal of enhancing its technological capabilities and digital user experience. Chatterjee will work closely with Kiran Mani, CEO for digital ventures at Viacom18, JioCinema’s parent company.

HOMEBOUND HOUNDS

SOSD, an animal welfare group for dogs in Singapore, has launched “Homebound,” an anthology movie comprising five short films that celebrate stories of resilience, hope, and healing among rescued dogs in Singapore. The film is executive produced by veteran Daniel Yun (“I Not Stupid”) and involves MediaCorp actors Rui En (“Happy Family”) and Lawrence Wong (“Story of Yanxi Palace”) making directorial debuts with their respective SOSD short films. The remaining films are directed by Tejas Ewing (“Gaia”), Jason Lee (“The Buddy”), and co-directors Jeremy Kieran Ng (“Summerdaze”) and Zhang Minhua (“Summerdaze”).

“Homebound” will premiere at a charity gala on Oct. 30 in Singapore. International right sales have yet to be determined.