Hubert Bals Fund announces Spring 2006 Selection Round
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.
View the full line up of the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund Spring 2006 Selection Round