Six IFFR-backed films in 65th Cannes film festival

International Film Festival Rotterdam

PRESS RELEASE May 7, 2012

Six IFFR-backed films in 65th Cannes film festival

Six films in various Cannes sections were backed by the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund or were launched at Rotterdam’s CineMart.
The Cannes lineup also includes works by many filmmakers who presented their first and subsequent works in Rotterdam, like Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Hong Sang-Soo, Carlos Reygadas, Sergei Loznitsa, Pablo Trapero, Pablo Stoll and Lou Ye.

(See full list of supported films and film projects below).

Reygadas and Loznitsa: from CineMart to Cannes Competition
Carlos Reygadas’ new film and Palme d’or contender POST TENEBRAS LUX was launched at CineMart 2011. Most of his earlier works screened in Rotterdam. Back in 2001, his first feature film JAPÓN received post-production support from the Hubert Bals Fund. It premiered in IFFR 2002.
Sergei Loznitsa’s now competes in Cannes with his second fiction feature film IN THE FOG, also launched at CineMart 2011. His first fiction feature MY JOY received script development support from the Hubert Bals Fund in 2006. It was selected for CineMart 2007 and premiered in Cannes 2010.
Hong Sang-Soo competes in Cannes with his new film IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. His first feature film THE DAY A PIG FELL INTO THE WELL won a Tiger Award in 1997.

HBF-supported talent in Un Certain Regard & Special Screenings
Two talented newcomers present their Hubert Bals Fund-supported films in Cannes: Colombian filmmaker Juan Andrés Arango (LA PLAYA) in Un Certain Regard and his Argentinean colleague Gonzalo Tobal (VILLEGAS) in the Special Screenings.
These sections further include new works by experienced filmmakers Lou Ye (MYSTERY), Pablo Trapero (ELEFANTE BLANCO), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (MEKONG HOTEL), and Gustave Kervern & Benoît Delépine (LE GRAND SOIR). All started their international careers by presenting their first films in Rotterdam. The IFFR showed many of their subsequent films.

Quinzaine & Semaine
The parallel Cannes sections include Pablo Stoll Ward’s ‘3’ in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs and Alejandro Fadel’s LOS SALVAJES in the Semaine de la Critique.
Stoll co-directed 25 WATTS that became a Tiger Award winner in 2001. He presented his project ‘3’ at CineMart 2009. Fadel’s first film LOS SALVAJES received post-production support from the Hubert Bals Fund in 2011.

L’Atelier
Six out of the fifteen film projects selected for L’Atelier 2012 of the Festival de Cannes, were either supported by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund or presented at IFFR’s CineMart.
In 2010 and 2011, the Hubert Bals Fund granted script & project development support to the projects by Robin Weng (China) and Pablo Lamar (Paraguay).
L'Atelier 2012 film projects by Song Pengfei (China), Adina Pintilie (Romania), Gabriel Abrantes & Daniel Schmidt (France/Portugal) and Manuel Martín Cuenca (Spain) were presented at CineMart 2011 or 2012.


The 42nd International Film Festival Rotterdam takes place from 23 January through to 3 February 2013; within the festival the 30th CineMart takes place 27 - 30 January 2012. CineMart is the world’s first and largest co-production market for low and medium-budget film projects. IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund provides grants for script development, digital production, post production or distribution to innovative and talented filmmakers from countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe.

For more information, film entry or application deadlines see www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com.


Cannes 2012: list of films supported by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund or CineMart:

In Competition 2012

POST TENEBRAS LUX by Carlos Reygadas (Mexico)
Selected for CineMart 2011

IN THE FOG by Sergei Loznitsa (Germany)
Selected for CineMart 2011


Un Certain Regard 2012

LA PLAYA (THE BEACH) by Juan Andrés Arango (Colombia)
Hubert Bals Fund support for post-production and final financing 2011


Special Screenings 2012

VILLEGAS by Gonzalo Tobal (Argentina)
Hubert Bals Fund support for script and project development 2009


Quinzaine des Réalisateurs 2012

3 by Pablo Stoll Ward (Uruguay)
Selected for CineMart 2009


Semaine de la critique 2012

LOS SALVAJES (THE WILD ONES) by Alejandro Fadel (Argentina)
Hubert Bals Fund support for post-production and final financing 2011


L’Atelier de la Cinéfondation 2012, film projects:

CANNIBAL by Manuel Martín Cuenca (Spain)
Selected for CineMart 2012

DU, ZOOEY AND MA by Robin Weng (China)
Hubert Bals Fund support for script and project development 2011

LA ÚLTIMA TIERRA (THE LAST LAND) by Pablo Lamar (Paraguay)
Hubert Bals Fund support for script and project development 2010

TOUCH ME NOT by Adina Pintilie (Romania)
Selected for CineMart 2011

TRISTES MONROES by Gabriel Abrantes & Daniel Schmidt (Portugal)
Selected for CineMart 2012

UNDERGROUND FRAGRANCE by Song Pengfei (China)
Selected for CineMart 2011


(End of press release)

Note to the editor:

Press information:
IFFR Press Office, Bert-Jan Zoet, [email protected], +31 10 8909090