^{HBF+Europe 2023 filmmaker portraits}

PRESS RELEASE

53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam

25 January – 4 February 2024

Rotterdam, 10 July 2023

Four projects awarded in first Post-production Support selection, alongside eight for Minority Co-production Support.

The Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) announces the 12 globe-spanning co-productions selected for its HBF+Europe support schemes, including the four in the inaugural HBF+Europe: Post-production Support selection. All but one of the projects are from filmmakers embarking on their debut features. Each receives an award of €60,000 to support either their production or post-production. 

Through HBF+Europe, the fund uses support from the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme of the European Union to encourage European producers to participate as a co-producers in film projects by filmmakers from regions where the HBF targets its support: Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe.The HBF’s continued backing from Creative Europe has allowed the creation of a new HBF+Europe scheme that supports the post-production of European co-productions within HBF-supported regions, alongside the regular HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production scheme which has been supporting projects since 2015.

Find our blog with complete project details including loglines here. Find concept stills and directors' portraits here.

^{Stills from the selected projects}

All We Imagine as Light, Payal Kapadia, France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg

Lead producer: Chalk & Cheese (India)

Applicant producer: BALDR (Netherlands) 

Cotton Queen, Suzannah Mirghani, France, Germany, Palestine

Lead producer: Philistine Films (Palestine) 

Applicant producer: Maneki Films (France)

Elephants in the Fog, Abinash Bikram Shah, Nepal, France

Lead producer: Underground Talkies (Nepal) 

Applicant producer: Les Valseurs (France)

Quatro meninas, Karen Suzane, Brazil, Netherlands

Lead producer: Républica Pureza (Brazil) 

Applicant producer: PRPL (Netherlands)

Si no ardemos, cómo iluminar la noche, Kim Torres, Costa Rica, Mexico, France

Lead producer: Noche Negra (Costa Rica) 

Applicant producer: Les films du clan (France)

Tear Gas, Uta Beria, France, Georgia, Belgium

Lead producer: 1991 Productions (Georgia)

Applicant producer: Tripod Productions (France)

A Useful Ghost, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Thailand, Singapore, France

Lead producer: 185 Films (Thailand) 

Applicant producer: Haut les Mains (France)

A Winner Is Seen At The Start, Zhannat Alshanova, France, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Norway, Kazakhstan

Lead producer: Accidental Films (Kazakhstan)

Applicant producer: Volya Films (Netherlands)

Athlete, Semih Gulen & Mustafa Emin Büyükcoskun, Turkey, Romania, Germany

Lead producer: Amok Films (Turkey) 

Applicant producer: Tangaj Production (Romania)

Holy Electricity, Vakhtang (Tato) Kotetishvili, Georgia, Netherlands

Lead producer: Zango Studio (Georgia)

Applicant producer: The Film Kitchen (Netherlands) 

Una sombra oscilante, Celeste Rojas Mugica, Argentina, Chile, France

Lead producer: Bomba Cine (Argentina) 

Applicant producer: Eaux Vives Productions (France) 

The Women, The Maw Naing, Myanmar, France, Singapore, Norway, South Korea

Lead producer: One Point Zero (Myanmar)

Applicant producer: Massala (France)