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The 52nd International Film Festival Rotterdam will be held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from January 25, 2023 to February 5, 2023.

"Tokyo 2020 Olympics SIDE:A" and "Tokyo 2020 Olympics SIDE:B" have both been selected to be screened at the 52nd International Film Festival Rotterdam. This will mark the Dutch premiere of "SIDE:A" and the international premiere of "SIDE:B."

Established for the 50th Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2021, The Harbour section reflects Rotterdam's identity as a port city and will screen a deep and wide range of contemporary cinema from around the world.

Click here for the The 52nd International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Below follows a comment from Kawase:

SIDE:A of the film focuses on the athletes. I feel that the scenes focusing on the reality of athletes who are also mothers are, in particular, very important records for reflecting upon this era. I also hope that viewers can see the film as a record of this era of competitions wherein the transition is evident from traditional sports to new sports (especially skateboarding, surfing, 3x3, sport climbing, etc.).

SIDE:B showcases how the Olympics were held during the Covid-19 pandemic disaster.

How did they overcome the challenge of conducting the sports festival that was the first ever to be postponed for a year without spectators?

I wanted to convey to humans living 100 years from now how we overcame this less than once-in-a-century event, and I wanted to do it through the gaze of a child.

The Rotterdam Film Festival is a very memorable festival for me as it was where my first film, "Suzaku," was screened.

I am grateful to be back here again and to begin the journey of this film

Naomi KAWASE