Rotterdam festival to screen Iran’s ‘Hit the Road’

Iranian feature ‘Hit the Road’ has been set to participate in the 2022 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in the Netherlands, which will take place in-person despite COVID-19 restrictions.

‘Hit the Road’ will be screened at the IFFR as part of the “Harbour” section, which “offers a safe haven to the full range of contemporary cinema that the festival champions”, the website of the event reads.

Directed by Panah Panahi, the feature is about “a chaotic family that sets off on a road trip which will change their lives forever”, according to a synopsis for the film.

According to Variety, this year’s edition of the IFFR has been allowed to be held as an in-person event by the Dutch government.

This is while the Netherland’s government announced this week that the country would extend COVID-19 restrictions through the end of the year amid a rise in infections.

Vanja Kaludjercic, the director of the IFFR, said the festival has adapted its protocol “once again to fit the restrictions in place in the Netherlands.”

“We are happy to confirm the festival will take place physically, allowing us to give the stage to all the outstanding filmmakers who have trusted us to screen their work,” she added.

The upcoming edition of the IFFR will open on January 26, 2022 and run until February 6, 2022.

SQ/MG