Variations On A Theme by South Africa’s Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar won the Tiger award at the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), with the prizes handed out tonight (February 6) at the De Doelen concert hall.
The Tiger Competition showcases emerging voices from across the globe, with the judges praising Variations On A Theme as a “thoughtful and moving portrait of a community living under the spectre of colonial legacies and familial bonds in this world and the next,” adding that they were “unanimous in our decision”.
The film is about an elderly goat herder who falls victim to a scam promising financial reparations for her father, who was never paid for his service in the Second World War. It has received grant funding from the Doha Film Institute and from the Hubert Bals Fund. The directors’ debut Carissa premiered in Venice’s Horizons selection in 2024.
Winners of the special jury awards were La belle année by Angelica Ruffier, a documentary-essay about memory, desire, and grief, and Supporting Role by Ana Urushadze, which tells the story of a once-famous Georgian cinema star attending a casting call for the debut movie by a young director.
The Tiger competition jury consisted of Soheila Golestani, Marcelo Gomes, Ariane Labed, Kristy Matheson, and Jurica Pavičić.
The Big Screen competition aims to bridge popular, classic and arthouse cinema. The winning film was Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s Master, about a teacher drawn into local politics in Bangladesh. The jury said: “What begins as a seemingly straightforward tale of idealism vs corruption unfolds into something far more complex and layered.”
The jury consisted of Sara Ishaq, Loes Luca; Chris Oosterom, Mila Schlingemann, and Jan-Willem van Ewijk.
The winner of the audience award is announced this weekend.
IFFR 2026 winners
Tiger Competition award
Variations on a Theme (S Afr-Neth-Qat) dirs. Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar
Special jury awards
La belle année (Swe-Nor) dir. Angelica Ruffier
Supporting Role (Geo-Est-Turkey-Switz-US) dir. Ana Urushadze
Big Screen award
Master (Ban) dir. Rezwan Shahriar Sumit
Fipresci award
Supporting Role (Geo-Est-Turkey-Switz-US) dir. Ana Urushadze
Neptac award
i grew an inch when my father died (Phil) dir. P. R. Monencillo Patindol
Youth jury award
Ah Girl (Sing) dir. Ang Geck Geck Priscilla
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