Rutger Wolfson appointed as general director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam

The Board of the International Film Festival Rotterdam has appointed Rutger Wolfson for a period of four years as general director of the festival organisation. In this function, Wolfson has the final responsibility for the artistic and business matters of the festival, the CineMart and the Hubert Bals Fund. Wolfson will resign as director of De Vleeshal, centre for contemporary art in Middelburg.

From September 2007, Rutger Wolfson was director of the 37th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam that took place from January 23 till February 3, 2008. He combined this function with the directorship of De Vleeshal. The festival Board and Wolfson had agreed to each take a decision about the directorship after the 37th Rotterdam festival edition.

After conversations with Wolfson, with further candidates to the directorship and with a delegation of the festival personnel, the board has decided to appoint Wolfson as general director for the next four years with a subsequent option for extension of the appointment.

Melle Daamen, Chairman of the board, says about the appointment: “We consider Rutger Wolfson to be an excellent director who will energetically take in hand the organisation of the festival. He has settled himself fast and with engagement in the large-scale world of the Rotterdam film festival. I think that he will further develop the international position of the festival and that we can expect of him an innovative festival programme. He is reasonably young and fits the innovatory tradition of the Rotterdam film festival.”

Rutger Wolfson is delighted to take the position of festival director: ”For more than eight years, I have enjoyed working in De Vleeshal and now I look forward to get to work with the festival. The Rotterdam film festival is innovative and pioneering. I find it very interesting to contribute to shape the future of the festival.”

Rutger Wolfson will start working immediately with the festival and, over the period till the beginning of July 2008, finish his tasks as director in Middelburg.

Rutger Wolfson (38) studied Art and Culture at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. From 1996 to 1999 he was curator of Witte de With, centre for contemporary art in Rotterdam and compiled exhibitions and (co-)produced music, theatre and dance projects. Since 2000, Wolfson has been director of the Stichting Beeldende Kunst Middelburg (De Vleeshal). He has compiled several renowned exhibitions about the boundaries of the visual arts and other art forms. Further he has been a member of advisory commissions for the Mondrian Foundation, for the Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture and for the Dutch Film Fund. Wolfson compiled and introduced the anthologies ‘Kunst in crisis’ (Art in Crisis, 2003) and ‘Nieuwe symbolen voor Nederland’ (New Symbols for the Netherlands, 2005). In August 2007, Wolfson published the essay ‘Museum als plek voor ideeën’ (The Museum as Space for Ideas). >From 2004 until 2007, when he was appointed director of the 37th festival edition, he was a member of the board of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.