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)