The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will honor French cinematographer Yorick Le Saux with the 2026 Robby Müller Award, which “acknowledges the artistry of an exceptional image maker” and is handed out in collaboration with the Netherlands Society of Cinematographers (NSC) and Andrea Müller-Schirmer. At IFFR 2026, Le Saux’s recent films Father Mother Sister Brother and The Wizard of the Kremlin will feature in the festival’s Limelight strand.
Le Saux is best known for his frequent collaborations with Olivier Assayas (Carlos, Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper) and François Ozon (Swimming Pool, 5×2). “His body of work includes many remarkable films with an inspirational variety of filmmakers, such as I Am Love by Luca Guadagnino, Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch, High Life by Claire Denis, and Little Women by Greta Gerwig,” the fest said. “Last year, he also filmed the British war film Blitz by Steve McQueen.”
The jury for this year’s Robby Müller Award highlighted: “Yorick Le Saux’s visual language is defined by close observation and a deep attachment to reality, supporting and elevating the story without ever overshadowing it. With a clear sense of rhythm, atmosphere, and emotion, he adapts effortlessly to a wide range of genres, narratives, and aesthetics.”
IFFR on Tuesday also unveiled its juries for the upcoming edition, which runs Jan. 29-Feb. 8. Check out the jurors for key IFFR sections below.
IFFR Tiger Competition jury
Soheila Golestani: Iranian filmmaker and actress recognised for her performance in Mohammad Rasoulof’s Academy Award-nominated The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024). Her professional career began with acting in cinema and theatre, and she later transitioned into filmmaking, producing short films and television work.
Marcelo Gomes: Brazilian film director, screenwriter and visual artist known for Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005), Portrait of a Certain Orient (IFFR 2024) and Dolores (2025, co-directed with Maria Clara Escobar).
Ariane Labed: Greek-French actress and film director, she recently made her directorial debut with September Says (Cannes 2024). Labed is also known for starring in Attenberg (2010), alongside Yorgos Lanthimos’ Alps (2011) and The Lobster (2015).
Kristy Matheson: BFI Festivals Director since 2023, and formerly the Creative Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Director of Film at Australia’s national museum of screen culture ACMI.
Jurica Pavičić: Croatian novelist, screenwriter, short story writer, journalist and film critic who has authored ten novels and two short story collections, including crime novel ‘Red Water’ (2017).
Tiger Short Competition jury
Sammy Baloji: Living and working between Lubumbashi and Brussels, Baloji explores the memory and history of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He won the Special Jury Prize in the Tiger Competition IFFR 2025 for L’arbre de l’authenticité.
Anka Gujabidze: Visual artist from Tbilisi, Gujabidze’s first film Temo Re, which received the Tiger Short Award and KNF Award at IFFR 2025.
Jukka-Pekka Laakso: Festival director of Tampere Film Festival since 2002 who has previously been an expert at Berlinale Talents and the European Film Academy’s ‘A Sunday in the Country’. He is also executive director for Pirkanmaa Film Centre in Tampere.
Big Screen Competition jury
Sara Ishaq: Yemeni-Scottish film director, screenwriter, and trainer who currently manages the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk – a non-profit organisation co-founded in 2021 by IDFA, IFFR and the European Film Academy.
Loes Luca: Dutch actress, Rotterdam native, singer and comedian who has starred in successful films and television series, including Spetters, Het meisje met het rode haar, De Noorderlingen and Ja zuster, nee zuster.
Chris Oosterom: The Director of Imagine Film Festival, whose wide-ranging expertise in film includes programming for festivals (Lowlands, Crossing Border), as well as cultural centres (Ekko, ‘t Paard).
Mila Schlingemann: Senior Programmer & Acquisitions at EYE, the national museum for film and the art of moving image in the Netherlands.
Jan-Willem van Ewijk: Dutch film director and actor, who after studying and working in engineering, changed course to direct his
