The 31st International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 23 - Feb 3) has selected sixteen features (all world, international or European premieres) for its VPRO Tiger Awards Competition.

First- or second-time directors from around the world will compete for three equal prizes, the VPRO Tiger Awards, each worth Euro 10,000 plus firm commitments towards both Dutch theatrical distribution and broadcasting. The Award Ceremony takes place on February 1, 2002.

VPRO Tiger Awards Competition 2002:
Nogo (Sabine Hiebler, Gerhard Ertl / Austria), world premiere
Lavoura Arcaica (To The Left Of The Father) (Luiz Fernando Carvalho / Brazil), european premiere
Weekend Plot (Zhang Ming / China), european premiere
Wild Bees (Bohdan Slama / Czech Republic), international premiere
Plus Haut (Higher) (Nicolas Breviere / France), world premiere
Mein Bruder Der Vampir (Getting My Brother Laid) (Sven Taddicken / Germany), international premiere
Pasir Berbisik (Whispering Sands) (Nan T. Achnas / Indonesia, Japan), european premiere
Jiyan (Life) (Jano Rosebiani / Kurdistan), world premiere
Everyday God Kisses Us On The Mouth (Sinisa Dragin / Romania), european premiere
Ljubljana (Igor Sterk / Slovenia), world premiere
Take Care Of My Cat (Jeong Jae-Eun / South Korea), international premiere
One Fine Spring Day (Hur Jin-Ho / South Korea), international premiere
Tussenland (Sleeping Rough) (Eugenie Jansen / The Netherlands), world premiere
Here To Where (Glen Luchford / UK), international premiere
This Is Not A Love Song (Bille Eltringham / UK), world premiere
Chronicle Of Corpses (Andrew Repasky McElhinney / USA), international premiere

Now in its ninth year, the VPRO Tiger Awards competition has become an inseparable part of the festival aimed at putting new, unknown talent in the spotlight. Instead of big names competing for the awards, the competition presents the work of young film-makers whose presence at the festival might otherwise remain unnoticed

This year's Rotterdam Competition will again have a broad range of approaches by young film-makers from all around the world, including: young Korean cinema (One Fine Spring Day by Hur Jin-Ho), voices from the Balkan (Everyday God Kisses Us On The Mouth by Sinisa Dragin/Romania, Ljubljana by Igor Stork/Slovenia, Wild Bees by Bohdan Slama/Czech Republic), as well as films with a political theme such as Jiyan by Jano Rosebiani (Kurdistan) or Whispering Sands by Nan T. Achnas (Indonesia/Japan).

The VPRO Tiger Award Jury consists of: Mrs. Marie-Pierre Macia (France), artistic director of the Quinzaine de Realisateurs (Directors' Fortnight) from the Cannes Film Festival, Mrs. Mijke de Jong (The Netherlands), film director and screenwriter, Mrs. Lita Stantic (Argentina), producer of, among others, La Cienaga (to be screened during the festival), Mr. Gaston J.M. Kambore (Burkino Faso), film director and ambassador of the French-speaking African film culture, Mr. Hou Hsiao-hsien (China), film director, producer, actor, author and veteran of Asian Cinema.

Full list of feature film premieres:

European Premieres:
Whispering Sands (Pasir berbisik): Nan Achnas/Indonesia/Japan
Lavoura Arcaica (To The Left Of The Father): Luiz Fernando Carvalho/Brazil
Chicken Rice War: K. Chee/ Singapore
The Diaries Of Vaslav Nijinsky: Paul Cox/Australia
Everyday God Kisses Us On The Mouth (In Fiecare Zi Dumnezeu Ne Saruta Pe Gura); Sinisa Dragin/Romania
Tilt (Nos Hacemos Falta): Juanjo Gimenez Pena/Spain
Festival In Cannes: Henry Jaglom/USA
Im Spiegel Der Maya Deren (In The Mirror Of Maya Deren): Martina Kudlacek/Austria/Germany/Switz
Onde A Terra Acaba (At The Edge Of The Earth): Sergio Machado/Brazil
The Hidden Half: Tahmineh Milani/Iran
Miotte Vu Par Ruiz (Miotte By Ruiz): Raul Ruiz/France/USA
Zipper And Tits (Fastener & Chibusa): Koji Shirakawa/Japan
Weekend Plot (Mi Yu Shi Ki Xiao Shi): Zhang Ming/China

International Premieres:
Miradas (The Gaze): Enrique Alvarez/Cuba
Planet Der Kannibalen: Hans-Christoph Blumenberg/Germany
Britney Baby - One More Time: Ludi Boeken/USA/The Netherlands/
Starbuck - Holger Meins (Undercover: Starbuck): Gerd Conradt/Germany
Les Enfants De L'amour: Geoffrey Enthoven/Belgium
You Look Better Still Alexis Hall & Hanna Hellsten/France
One Fine Spring Day (Bomnaleun Kanda): Jin-Ho Hur/South Korea/Hong Kong
Take Care Of My Cat (Go-Yang-I-Rul Boo-Tak-Hae): Jae-Eun Jeong/South Korea
Hamlet - This Is Your Family: Peter Kern/Germany
Here To Where: Glen Luchford/UK
A Chronicle Of Corpses: Andrew Repasky McElhinney/USA
Kali Salwaar (The Black Garment): Fareeda Mehta/India
The Happiness Of The Katakuris (Katakuri-Ke No Koufuku): Takashi, Miike/Japan
Agitator (Araburu Tamashii Tachi): Takashi Miike/Japan
Westend: Markus Mischkowski & Kai Maria Steinkuehler/Germany
Decasia: Bill Morrison/USA
Time Being: Andrew Noren/USA
Wave (Nami): Hiroshi, Okuhara/Japan
One Take Only: Oxide Pang/Thailand
Camel(s) (Nakta(deul)): Park Kiyong /South Korea
Toter Mann: Christian Petzold/Germany
Santa Maradona: Marco Ponti/Italy
Suck My Dick: Oskar Roehler/Germany
La Regle Du Je Tu El Il (Rules Of My Game or The Last History Of The World): Francoise Romand/France
The Name Of A River (Ekti Nadir Naam): Anup Singh/United Kingdom/India
Wild Bees (Divoke Vcely): Bohdan Slama/Czech Republic
Strike A Light: Giovanna Sonnino/USA/Italy
Mein Bruder Der Vampir (Getting My Brother Laid): Sven Taddicken/Germany

World Premieres:
Sea Of Tranquility: AFAME/The Netherlands
Plus Haut (Higher): Nicolas Breviere/France
Film Ist. 7-12: Gustav Deutsch/Austria
This Is Not A Love Song: Bille Eltringham/United Kingdom
Horns And Halos: Suki Hawley & Michael Galinsky/USA
Nogo: Sabine Hiebler & Gerhard Ertl/Austria
De Laatste Dagen Rond Frans Van De Staak: Kees Hin/The Netherlands
American Magus: Paola Igliori/USA
Tussenland (Sleeping Rough): Eugenie Jansen/The Netherlands
Nicht Fisch, Nicht Fleisch (Neither Fish Nor Fowl): Matthias Keilich/Germany
Les Beaux Lendemains De Teheran (7 Days In Tehran): Reza Khatibi/France/Iran
Vom Hirschkaefer Zum Hakenkreuz (From Stag Beetle To Swastika): Oliver Lammert & Madeleine Dewald/Germany
h'artCORE 1: Aguirre Morgenstern/Germany
Occident: Cristian Mungiu/Romania
War And Peace (Jang Aur Aman): Anand Patwardhan/India
Ik Wil Het Niet Zien, Maar Het Moet (Co Westerik, Painter): J.W. van Reijen/The Netherlands
Japon (Japan): Carlos Reygadas/Mexico/Spain
Jiyan (Life): Jano Rosebiani/Kurdistan
*Corpus Callosum: Michael Snow/Canada
Suicide Club (Jisatsu Circle): Sono Sion/Japan
Ljubljana: Igor Sterk/Slovenia
Mischka: Jean-Francois Stevenin/France
Peggie And Fred In Hell: Leslie Thornton/USA
Film School Confidential: Do