Hubert Bals Fund introduces digital production grant

Hubert Bals Fund introduces digital production grant

36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
January 24 – February 4, 2007

PRESS RELEASE October 16, 2006

• Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund introduces digital production grant
• First four projects supported within Fund’s new category

The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam expands its support range with a new ‘20K grant’ for low budget digital video productions from developing countries.
During the Fund’s fall 2006 selection round, four projects received production support in this new category: AT THE END OF THE DAYBREAK by Ho Yuhang (Malaysia), IN WHAT CITY DOES IT LIVE? by Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia), MONDOMANILA by Khavn De La Cruz (Philippines) and WEED by Wang Liren (China). Other results from this round of selections will be announced later this week.

The Hubert Bals Fund has, up till now, three grant categories: script development, post production and distribution within the country of origin.
Recent developments within film technology allow filmmakers to create films on ultra-low budgets. However, financing these independent and innovative feature projects remains very difficult. With its new grant category aimed at these daring projects, the Hubert Bals Fund intends to be a main financier for low-budget, independent and creative, digital features.
Grants in the new digital category of the Hubert Bals Fund (maximum 20,000 Euro) may be used to finance the total production costs.

With pride the Hubert Bals Fund unveils the first four projects awarded in the new digital category. From the Philippines, Khavn De La Cruz receives support for his project MONDOMANILA: HOW I FIXED MY HAIR AFTER A RATHER LONG JOURNEY. The film will give a no doubt colourful portrait of the underbelly of Manila. Earlier, he made a short based on the same material with the idea to develop it into a feature.
Malaysian Ho Yuhang (whose SANCTUARY was selected for the Rotterdam Tiger Awards Competition and who received Hubert Bals Fund support for RAIN DOGS) has been selected with AT THE END OF THE DAYBREAK about young internet love running out of control into murder. The film promises to offer a sensitive portrait of a young generation in Malaysia struggling with old customs.
IN WHAT CITY DOES IT LIVE? by Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia) will provide an original and humorous approach to superstition and racism in a small Muslim village. A haunted house and an African immigrant upset a traditional community.
In WEED by Wang Liren (China) a shy young man tries to win the heart of a girl prostitute. The story, partially set in modern-day Beijing, leads to a tragic climax when the girl’s former boyfriend turns up.

Over the past twenty years, the Hubert Bals Fund has supported close to 600 film projects. Each year, the fund has 1,2 million Euro at its disposal. Recent Hubert Bals Fund supported films are CLIMATES by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, OPERA JAWA by Garin Nugroho, Tiger Award 2006 winner THE DOG POUND by Manuel Nieto Zas and Rotterdam 2006 discovery GLUE by Alexis Dos Santos. The next application deadline for Hubert Bals Fund support is March 1, 2007.


(end of press release)

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