Debutantes shine in Rotterdam

The town -- Untested talent rules the competish as of this year's Rotterdam Film Festival, which opens Jan. 25. 13 in the 15 game game titles introduced Wednesday are debut features. Eight photos placed their world bows within the fest.In the section of unknowns, Icelandic gangster movie "Black's Game" stays out due to its connections. Pic is founded on a close best-seller, "Black Curse" by Stefan Mani, and was executive produced by "Drive" helmer Nicolas Winding Refn. South Korean debutant Lee Kwang-Kuk also provides links, due to assistant director credits on Hong Sang-Soo's "Tale of Cinema" and "Hahaha." His film "Romance Joe" presents connected tales offered up to filmmaker having a feisty waitress.Meanwhile. Dominga Sotomayor's road movie "Thursday Till Sunday" boasts cinematography from busy Latin American lenser Barbara Alvarez ("Whisky," "The Headless Lady").The Two company company directors with history are Vasily Sigarev of Russia and Okuda Yosuke of Japan. Sigarev's "Wolfy" along with European fests this past year, which he returns with "Living," a harsh portrait of existence in the wintry Russian town. Okuda's low-budget gangster comedy "Hot as Hell: The Deadbeat March" carried out within 2011, which he explores similar ground this year inside the better resourced "Tokyo, japan, japan Playboy Club."Really the only film getting a U.S. connection is "It Seems Pretty In the Distance," by Polish artists Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal, that's produced by NY's Anton Kern Gallery.TIGER Honours COMPETITION 2012"A Sea food," Park Hong-Min (Columbia)"Black's Game," Oskar Thor Axelsson (Iceland)"Clip," Maja Milos (Serbia)"Egg and Stone," Huang Ji (China)"In April one year afterwards, There's a fire place,Inch Wichanon Somumjarn (Thailand)"It Seems Pretty in the Distance," Anka Sasnal and Wilhelm Sasnal (Belgium, U.S.)"L," Babis Makridis (A vacation in a holiday in greece)"Living," Vasily Sigarev (Russia)"Neighboring Sounds," Kleber Mendonca Filho (South usa)"Return to Burma," Midi Z (Taiwan, Myanmar)"Romance Joe," Lee Kwang-Kuk (Columbia)"Southwest," Eduardo Nunes (South usa)"Thursday Till Sunday," Dominga Sotomayor (Chile, Netherlands)"Tokyo, japan, japan Playboy Club," Okuda Yosuke (Japan)"Voice of My Father,Inch Orhan Eskikoy and Zeynel Dogan (Chicken, Germany) Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com