Hubert Bals Fund Spring 2006 Selection Round

Hubert Bals Fund Spring 2006 Selection Round

International Film Festival Rotterdam

PRESS RELEASE May 19, 2006

Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund supports 34 film projects

The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) grants a total of Euro 452,000 to 34 film projects and initiatives from non-Western countries. Many of the selected projects concern first or second feature films. More established film-makers like Don Askarian and Harutyun Khachatryan (Armenia), Haile Gerima (Ethiopia) and Garin Nugroho (Indonesia) are also represented.

Nugroho’s OPERA JAWA, based on the Hindu Ramayana epos, is now selected for a Hubert Bals Fund post production grant and is also part of the Mozart Year’s New Crowned Hope series. Further selections in this category are two projects from China: Gan Xiao’er’s RAISED FROM DUST, situated among a Christian community in rural China, and Emily Tang’s second feature SHADOWS OF A WOMAN, that follows an ambitious woman from Northeastern China on a job seeking trail to the big cities. Continuing its support for the steady wave of strong independent films from Latin America, the Hubert Bals Fund backs début feature films ALICE’S HOUSE by Chico Teixeira (Brazil), TURTLE FAMILY by Ruben Imaz Castro (Mexico) as well as Ariel Rotter’s second feature, EL OTRO. The International Film Festival Rotterdam 2007 (Jan 24 – Feb 4, 2007) expects to screen many of the projects now selected for Hubert Bals Fund post production grants.

A majority of projects receiving Hubert Bals Fund support for script development will be first or second feature films. Adrian Biniez (Uruguay) prepares his début feature GIANT, to be produced by Ctrl-Z’s Fernando Epstein. Romanian film-maker Radu Jude (assistant-director to Cristi Puiu’s THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU) develops his first feature PRINCIPLES OF LIFE portraying a rich business man in conflict with his 14-year old son. Second feature projects receiving script development grants include THE OTHER HALF by Chinese film-maker Ying Liang (TAKING FATHER HOME) about the life of an attorney’s secretary in contemporary China and YOU, MY JOY by Sergei Loznitsa (Ukraine), a road movie that dissects Russian life; and MANLY SECRET, Mohsen Amiryoussefi’s follow up to BITTER DREAM. Selection also includes Artur Aristakisian’s third film, A MEXICAN STORY, a tale of child prostitution and corruption in Mexico to be produced by Carlos Reygadas’ No Dream Productions.

The line up of the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund Spring 2006 Selection Round in full:

Postproduction

ALICE’S HOUSE (A CASA DE ALICE) – Chico Teixeira, Brazil
ARARAT – ONE HUNDRED VIEWS – Don Askarian, Armenia
BEFORE WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN – James Lee, Malaysia
THE BROWN EUROPE PAGEANT – Jean Meeran, South Africa
TURTLE FAMILY (FAMILIA TORTUGA) - Ruben Imaz Castro, Mexico
OPERA JAWA – Garin Nugroho, Indonesia
THE OTHER (EL OTRO) – Ariel Rotter, Argentina
RAISED FROM DUST – Gan Xiao’er, China
SHADOWS OF A WOMAN – Emily Tang, China
TEZA – Haile Gerima, Ethiopia

SCRIPT AND PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

BLOOD APPEARS (LA SANGRE BROTA) – Pablo Fendrik, Argentina
DANCE OF THE EXECUTIONER (CHEM TREO NGANH) – Minh Nguyen-Vô, Vietnam
GIANT (GIGANTE) – Adrian Biniez, Uruguay
MANLY SECRET (RAAZE MARDANEH) – Mohsen Amiryoussefi, Iran
A MEXICAN STORY – Artur Aristakisian, Mexico/Russia
NAKSHO – Harutyun Khachatryan, Armenia
ON THE SADNESS THAT KILLLED GLAUBER (SOBRE A TRISTEZA QUE MATOU GLAUBER) – Marina Dias Weis, Brazil
THE OTHER HALF – Ying Liang, China
PRINCIPLES OF LIFE (PRINCIPII DE VIATE) – Radu Jude, Romania
THE RAILWAY – Alexey Fedorchenko, Russia
A WEEK ALONE (UNA SEMANA SOLOS) – Celina Murga, Argentina
THE WIND JOURNEYS (LOS VIAJES DEL VIENTO) – Ciro Guerra, Colombia
YEARS WHEN I WAS FATHER’S CHILD OUTSIDE – John Torres, Philippines
YOU, MY JOY – Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine

Distribution

Network of Microcinemas – Stefan Kaspar, Peru
A PERFECT DAY (NAOUSSÉ) – Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Lebanon
THE DOG POUND (LA PERRERA) – Manuel Nieto Zas, Uruguay

Workshops and Training

Cinemanilla/Boracay co-production meeting, Philippines
Directors Across Borders, Golden Apricot Film Festival, Armenia
Maisha Film Lab, Uganda
Sithengi, workshops in Africa, South Africa
Sud Ecriture, Tunesia

Hubert Bals Fund Award

Cinemanilla/Boracay co-production meeting, Philippines
HBF Award
Cinelink, Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina
HBF Award



Profile of the Hubert Bals Fund
Along with CineMart, the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) is part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The 36th IFFR will take place January 24 – February 4, 2007. 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 HBF 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 1989, well over 530 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 and NCDO, the DOEN 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 30,000 for post-production or Euro 15,000 towards distribution costs in the country of origin. Selection rounds take place twice a year, with application deadlines on March 1 and August 1.

Training, workshops, the Hubert Bals Fund Award
The Fund also support special projects, such as training initiatives for filmmakers in developing countries. At the Manilla and Sarajevo film festivals or markets, the Hubert Bals Fund participates in script workshops. On these occasions, Hubert Bals Fund Awards of Euro 10,000 are granted to the most promising film projects.


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