Opening Night

An evening full of exclusive screenings, fascinating conversations and creative excesses: that is the Opening Night of Rotterdam Open Doek Film Festival 2025! Dive with us into the fascinating world of short films during the opening program of the Rotterdam Open Doek Film Festival. We show four hits from the different program lines. All makers are present for a Q&A and as the icing on the cake we award the winner of the Rough Diamonds competition. You want to be there! Not unimportant: we close the evening with a cozy drink in the foyer ;) An Elephant in the China Cabinet - Bonne Steinz 'An Elephant in the China Cabinet' is a stop-motion and 2D animated short film about damage, and how we deal with it, visualized through a fragile space that a clumsy visitor receives. It is an investigation by the maker into material, technique and learning to open up. I asked - Joep van Weelden The drawings of filmmaker Joep van Weelden's mother are an opportunity to have a difficult conversation about illness, blossoming and transience. A personal film in which difficult questions are inevitable but where humor and the bond between mother and son are also certainly palpable. Come in! Fishing - Daan van de Geest, Leon van Engelen & Rutger Nijkamp In the series "Come in!" three young filmmakers visit various Rotterdam retailers. The specialty store is rapidly disappearing from the streetscape due to changing consumer behavior. Get to know the unique shops that Rotterdam still has to offer!