The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has selected thirty-one film projects that receive grants for script development, digital production, postproduction, distribution or workshops. In its 2009 Spring selection, the Fund gives 450 thousand Euro to projects from twenty-two countries. Among the projects are new films by Caméra d’Or winner Vimukthi Jayasundara and Philippines ’ Adolfo Alix Jr., who’s Manila, co-directed with Raya Martin, screens in Official Selection in Cannes this month.
All nine projects in the Fund’s postproduction & final financing category are expected to screen in IFFR’s 39th edition (January 27 – February 7, 2010). These include Fallen from the Sky, a visionary reflection on Sri Lanka by filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara. His début feature The Forsaken Land, also supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, won a Camera d’Or in Cannes 2005. Fallen from the Sky, presented at IFFR’s CineMart in 2006, touches on the realities of contemporary Sri Lanka through the symbolic story of a young man travelling from the city to the tropical countryside.
The HBF also continues to support prolific young Philippine filmmaker Adolfo Alix Jr. His upcoming film Aurora tells the story of a woman held hostage in the jungle.
Five Asian filmmakers have been granted support in the Fund’s digital production category. From Thailand, Sivaroj Kongsakul will make his début feature film Eternity produced by fellow-filmmaker Aditya Assarat (Wonderful Town). The other winners in this category are the second film by experimental filmmaker Paul Agusta from Indonesia, a new low budget project by Chinese filmmaker Ying Liang (Taking Father Home, Good Cats), a film by Philippine artist Khavn and the second feature film by Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui (Love Conquers All, VPRO Tiger Award 2007).
This Spring 2009 Selection Round, the Fund has awarded twelve filmmakers in the script development category. Of these, a vast majority is working on their feature film début. Especially Latin America and Asia continue to deliver promising young directors, gripping stories and innovative cinema.
The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam has a successful track record of discovering and supporting creative, independent filmmakers and stimulating film culture in developing countries. Twice a year, the fund makes contributions to a total of sixty film projects.
About 80% of these projects are realized. The contributions often act as seal of approval which helps finding additional investors. Many Hubert Bals Fund supported films have gained international acclaim at major film festivals and have found distribution in numerous countries.
The line up of the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund Spring 2009 Selection Round in full:
Postproduction & final financing
10 to 11 ; Pelin Esmer - Turkey
Aurora ; Adolfo B. Alix Jr. - Philippines
Donkey ; Antonio Nuic - Croatia/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fallen >From the Sky (Ahasin wataï) ; Vimukthi Jayasundara - Sri Lanka
Mundane History ; Anocha Suwichakornpong - Thailand
Sun Spots ; Yang Heng - China
The True Noon ; Nosir Saidov - Tajikistan
Vaho ; Alejandro Gerber Bicecci – Mexico
Vertigo (Choi voi) ; Bui Thac Chuyen – Vietnam
Digital Production
At the Very Bottom of Everything ; Paul Agusta - Indonesia
Blown by the Typhoon ; Ying Liang – China
Eternity (Tee Rak) ; Sivaroj Kongsakul - Thailand
K. (The One And Only Concert Of The Amazing Combo Of Commander Kulas And His Poor But Very Colorful Carabao In The Long And Unwinding Road Of Kamias) ; Khavn De La Cruz - Philippines
The Year Without a Summer ; Tan Chui Mui - Malaysia
Script and Project development
De jueves a domingo ; Dominga Sotomayor - Chile
The Dunes ; Wang Haolin - China
Instructions for Divorce ; Tamara Sulamanidze - Georgia
Leones ; Jazmin López - Argentina
Neither the Veil, Nor the Four Walls ; Afia Nathaniel - Pakistan
El Nombre de la Hija ; Tania Hermida - Ecuador
Red Spider Lily ; Weng Shou-ming - China
Solo ; Guillermo Rocamora - Uruguay
Sur ; Guido Kalwill – Argentina
Twins (Kaluha); Sherad Anthony Sanchez - Philippines
Under the Canebrakes ; Iris Elezi - Albania
Vanishing Point ; Jakrawal Nilthamrong - Thailand
Distribution
Absurd and Absurdity ; Marat Alykulov – Kyrgyzstan (Oy Art Film Producing Company, Bishkek , Kyrgyzstan )
The Damned Rain ; Satish Manwar – India (Pacific Entertainment, Pune , India )
Parque vía ; Enrique Rivero Huerta – Mexico (Interior13Cine, Mexico City , Mexico )
Workshops
DAB Coproduction Forum, Golden Apricot, 6th Yerevan International Film Festival
Narrative Master Class, Ciné Institute, Jacmel , Haiti
(end of list)
Profile of the Hubert Bals Fund
Along with CineMart, the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) is part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The 39th IFFR will take place January 27 – February 7, 2010. Year-round news on IFFR, HBF and CineMart can be found on the festival website www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com.
The Hubert Bals Fund is designed to bring remarkable or urgent feature films and feature-length creative documentaries by innovative and talented filmmakers from developing countries closer to completion. The Hubert Bals Fund provides grants that often turn out to play a crucial role in enabling these filmmakers to realize their projects. Although the Fund looks closely at the financial aspects of a project, the decisive factors remain its content and artistic value. Since the Fund started in 1988, close to 750 projects from independent filmmakers in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America have received support. Approximately 80% of these projects have been realised or are currently in production. Every year, the IFFR screens completed films supported by the Fund.
The Hubert Bals Fund is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch non-governmental development organisations Hivos-NCDO Culture Foundation, the DOEN Foundation, Dioraphte Foundation and Dutch public broadcasting network NPS.
Grants and selection rounds
Annually, the Hubert Bals Fund has close to Euro 1.2 million at its disposal and is able to make individual grants of up to Euro 10,000 for script and project development, Euro 20,000 for digital production, Euro 30,000 for post-production or Euro 15,000 towards distribution costs in the country of origin. Selection rounds take place twice a year and have application deadlines on March 1 and August 1.
Training, workshops, the Hubert Bals Fund Awards
The Fund supports training initiatives for filmmakers in Ethiopia , Vietnam and Costa Rica . In Armenia and India , the Hubert Bals Fund participates in co-production meetings. On these occasions, Hubert Bals Fund Awards are granted to the most promising film projects.
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