The International Film Festival Rotterdam unveiled the first highlights of its 54th edition, set to take place in the Netherlands from Jan. 30 to Feb. 9. Among the lineup are world premieres by two filmmakers who graduated from California Institue of the Arts: Matthew Lax (Film/Video-IM MFA 2016) and Rajee Samarasinghe (Film/Video MFA 2016).

Lax’s latest works, “A Tired Dog Is a Good Dog, Part Two” and “Gay Men’s Book Club,” are premiering at IFFR 2025 as part of a new special Focus program spotlighting the director.

In “A Tired Dog Is a Good Dog, Part Two,” Lax delves into themes of belonging, choice and freedom through a psychosexual exploration of canine and human behaviors. The latest chapter in Lax’s long-term project, which began in 2020, features the artist’s family, who breed collies. They are also professional dog trainers and members of the Los Angeles and Paris pup play kink communities, in which humans role-play as dogs.

“Gay Men’s Book Club” is an experimental nonfiction film and installation that brings together seven gay men to discuss Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò’s Elite Capture. Facilitated in collaboration with Dr. Don Kilhefner, the unscripted conversations delve into themes of community, privilege, and intersectionality. The project extends beyond film, offering a decentralized learning platform with supplementary materials to encourage broader discussions.

Lax, an artist, writer and filmmaker working between documentary and narrative, often explores group behaviors, power dynamics and queerness in their work. Their films have been exhibited at venues such as Viennale (Austria), The Drawing Center in New York, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and REDCAT in Los Angeles.

Sri Lankan-born filmmaker Samarasinghe will present the world premiere of his debut feature, “Your Touch Makes Others Invisible,” in the Bright Future program. Employing a docufiction approach blending direct interviews, archival news clips and re-enactments, Samarasinghe confronts the haunting legacy of the Sri Lankan Civil War and the staggering phenomenon of enforced disappearances. As many as 100,000 people, predominantly from the minority Tamil community, vanished during the 26-year conflict, leaving families in a liminal space of grief and uncertainty.

Samarasinghe will also present the world premiere of “You’re a Shadow,” a portrait of a Sri Lankan exorcist. The film is part of the festival’s Short & Mid-Length program.

Samarasinghe was also named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2020 and was awarded a MacDowell Fellowship in 2023. He’s had solo shows at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA – Modern Mondays), the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival and the Los Angeles Filmforum (2220 Arts), among others