Hubert Bals Fund Plus selection Summer 2008

International Film Festival Rotterdam

PRESS RELEASE July 16, 2008

Netherlands Film Fund grants € 200,000 for ‘Hubert Bals Fund Plus’

Dutch companies Isabella Films, IDTV Motel Films, Waterland Film and Volya Films have been selected to receive each € 50,000 from the Hubert Bals Fund Plus programme, an initiative of the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Netherlands Film Fund. The Dutch producers will coproduce four films from Costa Rica, China, Mexico and Kyrgyzstan. The ‘Hubert Bals Fund Plus’ programme, initiated in 2006, aims to promote international involvement of Dutch producers with films already supported by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund.

In 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Netherlands Film Fund has made € 200,000 available for the Hubert Bals Fund Plus. Applications can be granted with a maximum of € 50,000 for a Hubert Bals Fund project, which already received script and project development support, co-produced by a Dutch producer. The first two films realized through the Hubert Bals Fund Plus programme are GITMEK (MY MARLON AND BRANDO) by Hüseyin Karabey (coproduced by IDTV/Motel Films that premiered in Rotterdam 2008 and was awarded at Tribeca 2008 as Best New Narrative Filmmaker) and MILH HADHA AL-BAHR (SALT OF THE SEA) by Annemarie Jacir (coproduced by Augustus Films that premiered in Cannes 2008’s Un Certain Regard).

The Hubert Bals Fund Plus selection Summer 2008:

Isabella Films will coproduce AGUA FRIA DE MAR (COLD SEA) by Paz Fabrega (Costa Rica), produced by Temporal Films. Also involved are coproducers Les Films du Requin (France), Tic Tac Producciones (Spain) and Pimenta Films (Mexico). On the south pacific coast of Costa Rica, a young woman encounters a strange little girl, who brings on a crisis of unsuspected proportions. She is faced with the limitations and loneliness of her privileged life complicated by the heightened atmosphere of the unpredictable, vast nature, which make human effort seems small and absurd. COLD SEA was developed at Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam, received Hubert Bals Fund support for script development and won the Arte Award at the Buenos Aires Lab in 2007.

IDTV Motel Films is to coproduce HEI BAI ZHAO PIAN (BLACK & WHITE PHOTOS) by Chinese filmmaker Shu Haolun, produced by Chinese/French producer Les Petites Lumières. Based in Shanghai, Les Petites Lumères and IDTV Motel Films were also coproduces on David Verbeek’s SHANGHAI TRANCE, selected for Rotterdam 2008’s Tiger Awards Competition.
BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS, that received Hubert Bals Fund support for script development in 2007, is ‘a coming of age story about a 16 year old Chinese boy set against the background of the 1989 events and his lust for a 20 year old girl, both of which are a brutal awakening.’

Waterland Film coproduces FRICCION (FRICTION) by Michel Lipkes (Mexico), produced by Mantarraya Films producciones and Axolote Cine (both Mexico). Well known Mantarraya produced BATTLE IN HEAVEN and SILENT NIGHT by Carlos Reygadas, as well as Amat Escalante’s SANGRE and THE BASTARDS. FRICTION, in which ‘a sick and lonely man kidnaps a couple and tries to seduce the woman in hopes of a better tomorrow’, was supported by the Hubert Bals Fund for script development in 2007 and was selected for CineMart 2008.

Volya Films coproduces Kyrgyz film project THE LIGHT by Aktan Arym Kubat that received script development support from the Hubert Bals Fund in 2005 and was selected for CineMart in 2007. Volya Films joins a strong team of coproducers consisting of French ASAP Films (France), Pallas Films (Germany), Man’s Films (Belgium), VVISS Films (Russia). Earlier films by Aktan Arym Kubat are BESHKEMPIR (THE ADOPTED SON) and MAIMIL (THE CHIMP). THE LIGHT ‘revolves around an electrician, last link in the Kyrgyz energetic system. He becomes the bridge between geopolitical problems of post-soviet space and common people. The resilient electrician not only brings electric light (which often switches off), but also the light of love, loyalty, life and laughter. Everybody needs him.’

Hubert Bals Fund Plus
The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam supports filmmakers from developing countries with contributions in the stages of script development, post-production and distribution. Annually 20 to 40 film productions are realized with the support of the Hubert Bals Fund. In order to offer Dutch producers the possibility to get involved more often in international productions, and to support the ‘Hubert Bals Fund projects’ in the stage of actual production as well, Hubert Bals Fund Plus has been set up in 2006 by the Netherlands Film Fund and the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Approximately half of the films realized with support of the Hubert Bals Fund are made in cooperation with European coproducers. The International Film Festival Rotterdam would like to offer Dutch producers the opportunity to participate in international and artistically acclaimed productions through the extensive network of the Hubert Bals Fund and at the same time further support projects that were selected by the HBF.

Hubert Bals Fund Plus

Netherlands Film Fund

Isabella Films

IDTV/Motel Films

Waterland Film

Volya Films

(end of press release)

Note to the editor (not for publication)

Press information:
IFFR Press Office, Bert-Jan Zoet, [email protected], +31 10 8909090
Netherlands Film Fund, Jonathan Mees, [email protected], +31 20 5707681