More than 200 international filmmakers have rallied in support of ousted Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian, pledging their names to an open letter imploring the cultural organization to keep the artist director in place. Among the first signatories were Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Joanna Hogg, “Corsage” director Marie Kreutzer, Andrew Ross Perry, and Olivier Assayas. Over the course of the day on Wednesday, another 130 directors joined them, the list swelling to include M. Night Shyamalan, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Tilda Swinton, and Claire Denis. 260 filmmakers have now signed the open letter.
“We, a diverse group of filmmakers from all over the world, who have deep respect for Berlin International Film Festival as a place for great cinema of all kinds, protest the harmful, unprofessional, and immoral behavior of state minister Claudia Roth in forcing the esteemed Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian to step down despite promises to prolong his contract,” says the letter.
Chatrian...
“We, a diverse group of filmmakers from all over the world, who have deep respect for Berlin International Film Festival as a place for great cinema of all kinds, protest the harmful, unprofessional, and immoral behavior of state minister Claudia Roth in forcing the esteemed Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian to step down despite promises to prolong his contract,” says the letter.
Chatrian...
- 9/6/2023
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
Martin Scorsese, Radu Jude, Joanna Hogg, Claire Denis, Bertrand Bonello, M. Night Shyamalan, Kristen Stewart, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Margarethe von Trotta are among the international filmmakers and talents who have signed an open letter in support of Carlo Chatrian whose mandate as artistic director of the Berlinale will come to an end next year. The number of signatories has now exceeded 400 names and keeps growing.
As we reported last week, Chatrian had been expected to stay on beyond 2024, and was surprised to learn that the German body which oversees the festival, Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin (Kbb), announced that it would no extend his contract. The org had previously said it would abandon the model of having an executive director and an artistic director and return instead to having a single director, following the next edition. The festival’s executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek will also be leaving her post after the next edition.
As we reported last week, Chatrian had been expected to stay on beyond 2024, and was surprised to learn that the German body which oversees the festival, Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin (Kbb), announced that it would no extend his contract. The org had previously said it would abandon the model of having an executive director and an artistic director and return instead to having a single director, following the next edition. The festival’s executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek will also be leaving her post after the next edition.
- 9/6/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Full list of winners revealed.
Carolina Moscoso’s Night Shot has won the Grand Prix at the Marseille International Film Festival (FIDMarseille).
The Chilean film marks Moscoco’s debut feature and uses text, candid footage, animation and sound design to confront her past trauma: a violent rape that occurred eight years previously when she was a film student. It was produced by Santiago-based El Espino Films.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The feature received its international premiere at the festival that ran from July 22-26 in southern France. It was the first physical film event of its kind...
Carolina Moscoso’s Night Shot has won the Grand Prix at the Marseille International Film Festival (FIDMarseille).
The Chilean film marks Moscoco’s debut feature and uses text, candid footage, animation and sound design to confront her past trauma: a violent rape that occurred eight years previously when she was a film student. It was produced by Santiago-based El Espino Films.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The feature received its international premiere at the festival that ran from July 22-26 in southern France. It was the first physical film event of its kind...
- 7/27/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Morelia Film Festival’s (Ficm) Impulso sidebar for pix in progress will run Sunday through Tuesday this coming week, having become one of the territories most important launchpads for Latin American feature films in post-production.
Many of the participating films in recent editions have gone on to find festival success the world around.
Last year, Hari Sama’s “This is Not Berlin” was the talk of the day, and since being finished has made major impacts at Sundance, Tribeca and Malaga. From 2017, Andres Kaiser’s cabin in the woods thriller “Feral” went on to win awards at Los Cabos and participate in several major genre fests across Europe and North America. 2016 hosted Joshua Gil’s “Sanctorum” which closed Venice Critics’ Week this year.
Other standout participants include, but are not limited to: “The Chaotic Life of Nada Kadi’c” from Marta Hernaiz (Berlinale 2018); “Devil’s Freedom” from Everardo González (Berlinale...
Many of the participating films in recent editions have gone on to find festival success the world around.
Last year, Hari Sama’s “This is Not Berlin” was the talk of the day, and since being finished has made major impacts at Sundance, Tribeca and Malaga. From 2017, Andres Kaiser’s cabin in the woods thriller “Feral” went on to win awards at Los Cabos and participate in several major genre fests across Europe and North America. 2016 hosted Joshua Gil’s “Sanctorum” which closed Venice Critics’ Week this year.
Other standout participants include, but are not limited to: “The Chaotic Life of Nada Kadi’c” from Marta Hernaiz (Berlinale 2018); “Devil’s Freedom” from Everardo González (Berlinale...
- 10/18/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Ficunam, the international film festival organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has launched new film lab, Catapulta, in a bid to extend more support to indie films in post.
The open call for its First Cut competition runs from Nov. 27 to Jan. 14.
The 9th Ficunam unspools Feb. 28 to March 10.
Founded in 2011, Ficunam has signed on a new administration led by executive director Abril Alzaga and artistic director Michel Lipkes.
Argentine filmmaker-producer Ivan Granovsky, the co-founder of Mar del Plata Iff’s co-production meetings, LoboLab, has been tapped as the general curator of Catapulta.
“Ficunam champions non-traditional and risky cinema,” said Granovsky, adding: “Catapulta is a commitment to protect and promote the fiercest projects out there.”
“Ficunam intends to help catapult these free and courageous films onto the marketplace,” concurred Alzaga who was the executive co-ordinator of Unam’s Ingmar Bergman Chair in Film and Theater where she managed international co-production projects.
The open call for its First Cut competition runs from Nov. 27 to Jan. 14.
The 9th Ficunam unspools Feb. 28 to March 10.
Founded in 2011, Ficunam has signed on a new administration led by executive director Abril Alzaga and artistic director Michel Lipkes.
Argentine filmmaker-producer Ivan Granovsky, the co-founder of Mar del Plata Iff’s co-production meetings, LoboLab, has been tapped as the general curator of Catapulta.
“Ficunam champions non-traditional and risky cinema,” said Granovsky, adding: “Catapulta is a commitment to protect and promote the fiercest projects out there.”
“Ficunam intends to help catapult these free and courageous films onto the marketplace,” concurred Alzaga who was the executive co-ordinator of Unam’s Ingmar Bergman Chair in Film and Theater where she managed international co-production projects.
- 11/26/2018
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Can a making-of be a complex anthropological piece of filmmaking? Andrea Bussmann answers that question easily with her documentary short, He Whose Face Gives No Light (2011), filmed during the recording of Malaventura, the first film of Mexican programmer Michel Lipkes. In this documentary, the Canadian director already touches on all of her concerns and intentions regarding cinema, such that her follow-up feature, Tales of Two Who Dreamt (2016), made in collaboration with her husband, the festival-favorite Nicolás Pereda, confirmed her ethnographic approach and her influences from literature, how both of these approaches can work on documentary, and her interest in questioning the concepts and conventions of fiction and documentary forms.We talked to Andrea Bussmann about her first feature directed solo, Fausto (Faust), a particularly interesting and articulate anthropological reflection on the complex historical construction of the present through literature and mythology and the colonizing influence of the word and fiction on quotidian life.
- 8/12/2018
- MUBI
Exclusive: 12 Polish premieres include Menashe and Makala.
This year’s New Horizons International Film Festival (August 3 – 13) competition in Wroclaw, Poland, will see 12 Polish premieres vying for the Grand Prix award.
The premieres include three Polish films: A Heart of Love, by director Łukasz Ronduda, a biopic about Polish art scene couple Wojtek Bąkowski and Zuza Bartoszek who are played by Jacek Poniedziałek and Justyna Wasilewska; Norman Leto’s Photon; and Karlovy Vary winner The Birds Are Singing in Kigali by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze.
From Mexico will be director Michel Lipkes dark story Strange But True and Natalia Almada’s Everything Else, which stars Babel and Amores Perros actor Adrian Barraza in the lead role.
Mexican director Sergio Flores Thorija, a former student of Bela Tarr, will bring his Bosnia-set movie 3 Women about three women living in Sarajevo who wish to change their lives.
Menashe by Joshua Z. Weinstein is the first film since the second...
This year’s New Horizons International Film Festival (August 3 – 13) competition in Wroclaw, Poland, will see 12 Polish premieres vying for the Grand Prix award.
The premieres include three Polish films: A Heart of Love, by director Łukasz Ronduda, a biopic about Polish art scene couple Wojtek Bąkowski and Zuza Bartoszek who are played by Jacek Poniedziałek and Justyna Wasilewska; Norman Leto’s Photon; and Karlovy Vary winner The Birds Are Singing in Kigali by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze.
From Mexico will be director Michel Lipkes dark story Strange But True and Natalia Almada’s Everything Else, which stars Babel and Amores Perros actor Adrian Barraza in the lead role.
Mexican director Sergio Flores Thorija, a former student of Bela Tarr, will bring his Bosnia-set movie 3 Women about three women living in Sarajevo who wish to change their lives.
Menashe by Joshua Z. Weinstein is the first film since the second...
- 7/11/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Films and projects travel from Sundance to Rotterdam and Rotterdam’s love affair with Latin America becomes apparent.
Making their way from Sundance to Rotterdam, “Lemon” was Opening Night in the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Sloan Prize Winner “Marjorie Prime” played in Voices while director Michael Almereyda was on the Jury of the Hivos Tiger Competition. His documentary, “Escapes” also played in the Regained section of the festival.
“Marjorie Prime”: Director Michael Almereyda, Lois Smith and Jon Hamm
“Chile’s “Family Life” by Alicia Scherson and Cristian Jimenez, Singapore’s “Pop Aye”, “Lady Macbeth” and “Sami Blood” all screened here after premiering in Sundance as well.
Pop Aye director Kirsten Tan won the Big Screen Competition and in addition to the cash prize may also count on a guaranteed release in Dutch cinemas and on TV.
“The Wound” by John Trengove has even longer legs, reaching from Sundance World...
Making their way from Sundance to Rotterdam, “Lemon” was Opening Night in the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Sloan Prize Winner “Marjorie Prime” played in Voices while director Michael Almereyda was on the Jury of the Hivos Tiger Competition. His documentary, “Escapes” also played in the Regained section of the festival.
“Marjorie Prime”: Director Michael Almereyda, Lois Smith and Jon Hamm
“Chile’s “Family Life” by Alicia Scherson and Cristian Jimenez, Singapore’s “Pop Aye”, “Lady Macbeth” and “Sami Blood” all screened here after premiering in Sundance as well.
Pop Aye director Kirsten Tan won the Big Screen Competition and in addition to the cash prize may also count on a guaranteed release in Dutch cinemas and on TV.
“The Wound” by John Trengove has even longer legs, reaching from Sundance World...
- 2/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
As the fund restructures, several previous grantees spoke on a Rotterdam panel about their struggles in local markets.
After the recent announcement that International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund is restructuring, the scheme’s outgoing manager Iwana Chronis was at Iffr on Monday (Jan 30) with several fund recipients to discuss their distribution experiences.
Filmmakers Michel Lipkes (Mexico), John Torres (Philippines) and Marina Meliande (Brazil) praised the development and production fund for supporting independent films in less financially-able countries, but also took the opportunity to highlight the constant struggle of releasing their films in their respective home territories.
Lipkes, whose feature Malaventura screened at Iffr in 2012, said the fund enabled his film to also receive support from the Mexican Institute of Cinematography, a grant he may not have received if he had not had the backing of the Hbf fund.
However, his inability to screen the film for more than one week in Mexico’s multiplexes...
After the recent announcement that International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund is restructuring, the scheme’s outgoing manager Iwana Chronis was at Iffr on Monday (Jan 30) with several fund recipients to discuss their distribution experiences.
Filmmakers Michel Lipkes (Mexico), John Torres (Philippines) and Marina Meliande (Brazil) praised the development and production fund for supporting independent films in less financially-able countries, but also took the opportunity to highlight the constant struggle of releasing their films in their respective home territories.
Lipkes, whose feature Malaventura screened at Iffr in 2012, said the fund enabled his film to also receive support from the Mexican Institute of Cinematography, a grant he may not have received if he had not had the backing of the Hbf fund.
However, his inability to screen the film for more than one week in Mexico’s multiplexes...
- 2/1/2017
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Iffr reveals lineup and jury for programme focused on emerging filmmakers.
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has announced the full line-up of its Bright Future programme, including the titles that will compete for the Bright Future Award.
Scroll down for the full lineup
The competition for the Bright Future Award 2017 consists of sixteen debut films, including Chinese documentary Children Are Not Afraid of Death, Children Are Afraid of Ghosts by Rong Guang Rong and Caroline Leone’s melancholy Brazilian road movie Pela Janela. Also competing are Belgian title Inside the Distance and German feature Self-Criticism Of A Bourgeois Dog.
The jury for the award will be made up of Italian film producer Marta Donzelli (Le Quattro Volte); Marleen Slot, Netherlands producer for Viking Film (Neon Bull) and chair of Film Producers Netherlands (Fpn); and Jean-Pierre Rehm, director of the French film festival Fid Marseille.
Outside of this competition, Bright Future also presents...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (25 Jan – 5 Feb) has announced the full line-up of its Bright Future programme, including the titles that will compete for the Bright Future Award.
Scroll down for the full lineup
The competition for the Bright Future Award 2017 consists of sixteen debut films, including Chinese documentary Children Are Not Afraid of Death, Children Are Afraid of Ghosts by Rong Guang Rong and Caroline Leone’s melancholy Brazilian road movie Pela Janela. Also competing are Belgian title Inside the Distance and German feature Self-Criticism Of A Bourgeois Dog.
The jury for the award will be made up of Italian film producer Marta Donzelli (Le Quattro Volte); Marleen Slot, Netherlands producer for Viking Film (Neon Bull) and chair of Film Producers Netherlands (Fpn); and Jean-Pierre Rehm, director of the French film festival Fid Marseille.
Outside of this competition, Bright Future also presents...
- 1/4/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Boost! is a cooperation between the Hubert Bals Fund, Iffr's CineMart, Binger Filmlab and Nfdc of India and supported by Media Mundus. Yearly five projects selected for Hubert Bals Fund Script and Project Development support are offered the opportunity to further develop their project at Binger Filmlab as part of the Binger On Demand programme. At Binger Filmlab, the filmmakers are offered coaching based on the specific needs of the project and filmmaker. Strange but True by Michel Lipkes (Mexico) and Days of Cannibalism by Teboho Edkins (South Africa) are the final two Hbf supported projects that will receive a special coaching trajectory from the Binger Filmlab.
Strange but True tells the love story of two young trash collectors working under the despotic direction of Mr.Clean. Tragedy ensues when they find a corpse of a wealthy man and Mr. Clean takes terrible decisions.
Days of Cannibalism is a three-part feature film in three parts, stylistically a Western, set in contemporary Africa. It is a film about man-eat-man, from the business of globalised trade in China, to a band of smugglers in Lesotho to the violence of a cattle raid deep in the high mountains.
Selected earlier this year were:
Silver Shadow by Pablo Stoll (Uruguay/Argentina)
The Load by Ognjen Glavonic (Serbia)
The Fourth Direction by Gurvinder Singh (India)
Their first coaching sessions already took place in Berlin, Amsterdam and Mumbai. All Boost! projects will be presented at CineMart during the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where they will be offered special pitching and project development sessions prior to taking one-to-one meetings at the co-production market.
Boost!-project taking part in Rotterdam Lab 2013:
- The Fourth Direction / Gurvinder Singh / India
Check out Boost! on the Web
Additional Binger Filmlab News:
Eurimages is supporting Land. by writer/director Jan-Willem van Ewijk with Eur 230.000! Current Lab participant Meikeminne Clinckspoor has won 7 prices in the Cinekid Festival edition of the 48 hour project with Gewoon Ongewoon. Milo, by Berend and Roel Boorsma, has taken another prize: MovieSquad Best International Children’s Movie at the Cinekid Festival. Miro Bilbrough's Being Venice developed in the 2006 Writers Lab, had it's international premiere at The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Writers and Creative Producers Lab participants Arno Dierickx & Joram Willink have received support from the Netherlands Film Fund for their current lab project The Circle. Raf Reyntjes also received support for Paradise Trips from the Netherlands Film Fund. Parts of a Family by Diego Gutierrez Coppe, developed in the Binger Doc Lab, premiered at the Morelia Iff in Mexico. Niles Atallah and Lucie Kalmar have been granted a Production Award of Eur 70.000 at the Torino Film Lab Meeting Event for Rey.
Strange but True tells the love story of two young trash collectors working under the despotic direction of Mr.Clean. Tragedy ensues when they find a corpse of a wealthy man and Mr. Clean takes terrible decisions.
Days of Cannibalism is a three-part feature film in three parts, stylistically a Western, set in contemporary Africa. It is a film about man-eat-man, from the business of globalised trade in China, to a band of smugglers in Lesotho to the violence of a cattle raid deep in the high mountains.
Selected earlier this year were:
Silver Shadow by Pablo Stoll (Uruguay/Argentina)
The Load by Ognjen Glavonic (Serbia)
The Fourth Direction by Gurvinder Singh (India)
Their first coaching sessions already took place in Berlin, Amsterdam and Mumbai. All Boost! projects will be presented at CineMart during the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where they will be offered special pitching and project development sessions prior to taking one-to-one meetings at the co-production market.
Boost!-project taking part in Rotterdam Lab 2013:
- The Fourth Direction / Gurvinder Singh / India
Check out Boost! on the Web
Additional Binger Filmlab News:
Eurimages is supporting Land. by writer/director Jan-Willem van Ewijk with Eur 230.000! Current Lab participant Meikeminne Clinckspoor has won 7 prices in the Cinekid Festival edition of the 48 hour project with Gewoon Ongewoon. Milo, by Berend and Roel Boorsma, has taken another prize: MovieSquad Best International Children’s Movie at the Cinekid Festival. Miro Bilbrough's Being Venice developed in the 2006 Writers Lab, had it's international premiere at The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Writers and Creative Producers Lab participants Arno Dierickx & Joram Willink have received support from the Netherlands Film Fund for their current lab project The Circle. Raf Reyntjes also received support for Paradise Trips from the Netherlands Film Fund. Parts of a Family by Diego Gutierrez Coppe, developed in the Binger Doc Lab, premiered at the Morelia Iff in Mexico. Niles Atallah and Lucie Kalmar have been granted a Production Award of Eur 70.000 at the Torino Film Lab Meeting Event for Rey.
- 12/13/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
A first look into what’s ahead from some of our favorite auteurs, 2013′s CineMart (held during the Int. Film Festival Rotterdam) boosts an impressive selection of projects from the likes of Argentina’s Lucrecia Martel (The Headless Woman) who’ll be lensing Zama – the adaptation of a period piece about Don Diego de Zama, a 17th-century official for the Spanish crown based in Asuncion del Paraguay, who awaits his transfer to the city of Buenos Aires. We’ve got Greece’s Yorgos Lanthimos from Dogtooth and Alps fame, who the last time we spoke to mentioned how he was looking to break into English language film territory and we think The Lobster might be that first foray. Among the other Cannes Film Festival introduced filmmakers who’ll be seeking coin in Rotterdam we have Michael Rowe (Leap Year) who brings Rest Home, Alice Rohrwacher (Corpo celeste) who tackles Le Meraviglie,...
- 12/12/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has selected twenty-five film projects that receive grants for script development, digital production, postproduction, distribution or workshops. In its Fall 2012 selection round, the Fund gave 330,000 Euro to projects from seventeen Asian, Eastern European, Latin-American and African countries. (See full list below)
From many strong applications for workshop initiatives, the Hubert Bals Fund chose to support the Naas Training Workshop (Egypt), the Digital Cinema Workshops Series (Morocco) and Cinema Land (Vietnam). The Naas workshop offers a training and networking program for art house and cine club managers in the Mena region. In Morocco, the Workshop Series aims to increase digital filming skills among young film professionals. Cinema Land offers filmmaking talents expertise and training in the Central-Vietnamese cities of Danang and Hue, where there are no such facilities as yet.
In the distribution category, the Hubert Bals Fund supports the plan to screen acclaimed director Riri Riza’s Atambua 39° Celsius (pictured top) during open air screenings – the region has no cinemas - within the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara, where the film was shot.
Atambua 39° Celsius received Hubert Bals Fund support for digital production earlier this year, recently premiered in competition at the Tokyo Iff and will see its European premiere during Iffr 2013. The film offers a sensitive portrait of refugees from East Timor and of their scattered families.
One of the eleven projects selected in the script development category is Tarde para morir joven (Late To Die Young), second feature film project by Chilean filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor. Her very successful début feature film De jueves a domingo (Thursday Till Sunday), also supported in script stage by the Hubert Bals Fund, won a Hivos Tiger Award in Rotterdam and subsequently screened in many film festivals worldwide. Tarde para morir joven tells about members of an isolated community that see their existence threatened by a forest fire.
Also selected for script development support is Teboho Edkins, a promising new talent from South Africa, who prepares his first feature length film Days of Cannibalism. Edkins previously made The Gangster Project, a 55-minute documentary/fiction hybrid that was selected for Fid Marseille and Iffr 2012. In Days of Cannibalism, Edkins again uses a clever mix of documentary and fictional elements to focus on the expanding trade relations between China and the African continent.
Milagros Mumenthaler, Golden Leopard-winner for her Hubert Bals Fund-supported first feature film Abrir puertas y ventanas (Back to Stay), has been granted digital production support for Pozo de aire (Air Pocket). This second film, backed again by the ‘Abrir’-team in Argentina and Switzerland, is a more low budget and experimental take on female lead characters and the notion of absence.
When finished in time, the films receiving postproduction grants are expected to screen at the 2013 International Film Festival Rotterdam. One of these is Yang Tidak Dibicarakan Ketika Membicarakan Cinta (What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love), second feature film project by Mouly Surya, one the most promising female directors in Indonesia. Her film is a both sensitive and sensual examination of the dynamics among a group of teenagers played by visually and aurally impaired actors.
The harvest of newly finished Hubert Bals Fund-supported films will be screened during the next International Film Festival Rotterdam (23 January – 3 February 2013). The next application deadline for Hubert Bals Fund support is 1 March 2013. All information about the Fund may be found here.
The line up of the Iffr’s Hubert Bals Fund Fall 2013 Selection Round in full:
Post-production & final-financing
Noche (Night) / Leonardo Brzezicki / Argentina
O Rio nos pretence (Rio Belongs to Us) / Ricardo Pretti / Brazil
O Uivo da Gaita (The Harmonica’s Howl) / Bruno Safadi / Brazil
On Mother’s Head / Kusuma Widjaja Putu / Indonesia
Yang Tidak Dibicarakan Ketika Membicarakan Cinta (What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love) / Mouly Surya / Indonesia
Larzanandeye Charbi (Fat Shaker) / Mohammad Shirvani / Iran
Something Necessary / Judy Kibinge / Kenya
Penumbra / Eduardo Villanueva / Mexico
Digital Production
A Corner of Heaven / Zhang Miaoyan / China
Pozo de aire (Air Pocket) / Milagros Mumenthaler / Argentina
Script and project development
Otra madre (Another Mother) / Mariano Luque / Argentina
Tabija / Igor Drljaca / Bosnia and Herzegovina
Elon Rabin Não Acredita na Morte (Elon Rabin Doesn’t Believe in Death) / Ricardo Alves Jr. / Brazil
Tarde para morir joven (Late To Die Young) / Dominga Sotomayor / Chile
Oscuro animal (Obscure Animal) / Felipe Guerrero / Colombia
Court / Chaitanya Tamhane / India
The Room on a Tree / Amit Dutta / India
Extraño pero verdadero (Strange But True) / Michel Lipkes / Mexico
Tempestad (Tempestuous) / John Torres / Philippines
Days of Cannibalism / Teboho Edkins / South Africa
Rüzgarli Bir Güne Agit (Requiem for a Windy Day) / Özcan Alper / Turkey
Distribution
Atambua 39° Celsius / Riri Riza / Indonesia
Workshops
Naas Training Workshop / Egypt
Digital Cinema Workshop Series / Morocco
Cinema Land / Vietnam
Profile of the Hubert Bals Fund
The Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf), along with the CineMart, is part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr). The 42nd Iffr will take place January 23 – February 3, 2013. Year-round news on Iffr, Hbf and CineMart can be found on 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 Hubert Bals Fund 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, hundreds of projects from independent filmmakers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe have received support. Approximately 80% of these projects have been realized 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, Media Mundus, Dutch non-governmental development organization Hivos Culture Foundation, the Doen Foundation and the Dioraphte Foundation and Lions Club Rotterdam: L’Esprit du Temps.
Grants and selection rounds
Annually, the Hubert Bals Fund is able to make individual grants of up to Euro 10,000 for script and project development, Euro 20,000 for digital production, Euro 30,000 for post-production, Euro 15,000 towards distribution costs in the country of origin or Euro 10,000 for special projects such as workshops. Selection rounds take place twice a year and have application deadlines on March 1 and August 1.
Hubert Bals Fund-supported films in Iffr and on DVD/VOD
Most of the films supported by the Hubert Bals Fund throughout the year are screened during the International Film Festival Rotterdam in attendance of the filmmaker. Subsequently, part of the Hbf-supported films is released by the Iffr on DVD or VOD, available on www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com (VOD for viewers in the Benelux only).
From many strong applications for workshop initiatives, the Hubert Bals Fund chose to support the Naas Training Workshop (Egypt), the Digital Cinema Workshops Series (Morocco) and Cinema Land (Vietnam). The Naas workshop offers a training and networking program for art house and cine club managers in the Mena region. In Morocco, the Workshop Series aims to increase digital filming skills among young film professionals. Cinema Land offers filmmaking talents expertise and training in the Central-Vietnamese cities of Danang and Hue, where there are no such facilities as yet.
In the distribution category, the Hubert Bals Fund supports the plan to screen acclaimed director Riri Riza’s Atambua 39° Celsius (pictured top) during open air screenings – the region has no cinemas - within the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara, where the film was shot.
Atambua 39° Celsius received Hubert Bals Fund support for digital production earlier this year, recently premiered in competition at the Tokyo Iff and will see its European premiere during Iffr 2013. The film offers a sensitive portrait of refugees from East Timor and of their scattered families.
One of the eleven projects selected in the script development category is Tarde para morir joven (Late To Die Young), second feature film project by Chilean filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor. Her very successful début feature film De jueves a domingo (Thursday Till Sunday), also supported in script stage by the Hubert Bals Fund, won a Hivos Tiger Award in Rotterdam and subsequently screened in many film festivals worldwide. Tarde para morir joven tells about members of an isolated community that see their existence threatened by a forest fire.
Also selected for script development support is Teboho Edkins, a promising new talent from South Africa, who prepares his first feature length film Days of Cannibalism. Edkins previously made The Gangster Project, a 55-minute documentary/fiction hybrid that was selected for Fid Marseille and Iffr 2012. In Days of Cannibalism, Edkins again uses a clever mix of documentary and fictional elements to focus on the expanding trade relations between China and the African continent.
Milagros Mumenthaler, Golden Leopard-winner for her Hubert Bals Fund-supported first feature film Abrir puertas y ventanas (Back to Stay), has been granted digital production support for Pozo de aire (Air Pocket). This second film, backed again by the ‘Abrir’-team in Argentina and Switzerland, is a more low budget and experimental take on female lead characters and the notion of absence.
When finished in time, the films receiving postproduction grants are expected to screen at the 2013 International Film Festival Rotterdam. One of these is Yang Tidak Dibicarakan Ketika Membicarakan Cinta (What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love), second feature film project by Mouly Surya, one the most promising female directors in Indonesia. Her film is a both sensitive and sensual examination of the dynamics among a group of teenagers played by visually and aurally impaired actors.
The harvest of newly finished Hubert Bals Fund-supported films will be screened during the next International Film Festival Rotterdam (23 January – 3 February 2013). The next application deadline for Hubert Bals Fund support is 1 March 2013. All information about the Fund may be found here.
The line up of the Iffr’s Hubert Bals Fund Fall 2013 Selection Round in full:
Post-production & final-financing
Noche (Night) / Leonardo Brzezicki / Argentina
O Rio nos pretence (Rio Belongs to Us) / Ricardo Pretti / Brazil
O Uivo da Gaita (The Harmonica’s Howl) / Bruno Safadi / Brazil
On Mother’s Head / Kusuma Widjaja Putu / Indonesia
Yang Tidak Dibicarakan Ketika Membicarakan Cinta (What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love) / Mouly Surya / Indonesia
Larzanandeye Charbi (Fat Shaker) / Mohammad Shirvani / Iran
Something Necessary / Judy Kibinge / Kenya
Penumbra / Eduardo Villanueva / Mexico
Digital Production
A Corner of Heaven / Zhang Miaoyan / China
Pozo de aire (Air Pocket) / Milagros Mumenthaler / Argentina
Script and project development
Otra madre (Another Mother) / Mariano Luque / Argentina
Tabija / Igor Drljaca / Bosnia and Herzegovina
Elon Rabin Não Acredita na Morte (Elon Rabin Doesn’t Believe in Death) / Ricardo Alves Jr. / Brazil
Tarde para morir joven (Late To Die Young) / Dominga Sotomayor / Chile
Oscuro animal (Obscure Animal) / Felipe Guerrero / Colombia
Court / Chaitanya Tamhane / India
The Room on a Tree / Amit Dutta / India
Extraño pero verdadero (Strange But True) / Michel Lipkes / Mexico
Tempestad (Tempestuous) / John Torres / Philippines
Days of Cannibalism / Teboho Edkins / South Africa
Rüzgarli Bir Güne Agit (Requiem for a Windy Day) / Özcan Alper / Turkey
Distribution
Atambua 39° Celsius / Riri Riza / Indonesia
Workshops
Naas Training Workshop / Egypt
Digital Cinema Workshop Series / Morocco
Cinema Land / Vietnam
Profile of the Hubert Bals Fund
The Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf), along with the CineMart, is part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr). The 42nd Iffr will take place January 23 – February 3, 2013. Year-round news on Iffr, Hbf and CineMart can be found on 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 Hubert Bals Fund 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, hundreds of projects from independent filmmakers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe have received support. Approximately 80% of these projects have been realized 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, Media Mundus, Dutch non-governmental development organization Hivos Culture Foundation, the Doen Foundation and the Dioraphte Foundation and Lions Club Rotterdam: L’Esprit du Temps.
Grants and selection rounds
Annually, the Hubert Bals Fund is able to make individual grants of up to Euro 10,000 for script and project development, Euro 20,000 for digital production, Euro 30,000 for post-production, Euro 15,000 towards distribution costs in the country of origin or Euro 10,000 for special projects such as workshops. Selection rounds take place twice a year and have application deadlines on March 1 and August 1.
Hubert Bals Fund-supported films in Iffr and on DVD/VOD
Most of the films supported by the Hubert Bals Fund throughout the year are screened during the International Film Festival Rotterdam in attendance of the filmmaker. Subsequently, part of the Hbf-supported films is released by the Iffr on DVD or VOD, available on www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com (VOD for viewers in the Benelux only).
- 12/11/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has announced the complete list of Boost programme of CineMart 2013. New projects by Michel Lipkes (Mexico) and Teboho Edkins (South Africa) have been added to those by Pablo Stoll (Uruguay), Ognjen Glavonic (Serbia) and Gurvinder Singh (India) selected earlier this year. The Boost! progarmme is organized by Hubert Bals Fund, CineMart, Binger Filmlab and Nfdc of India supported by Media Mundus. Yearly five projects Read More...
- 12/1/2012
- Bollywood Trade
Court by Chaitanya Tamhane and The Room on a Tree by Amit Dutta have been selected for Script and Project Development of Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) Fall 2012.
Post completion, the films will be made a part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam under the competition section or the main sections Bright Future, Spectrum or Signals.
Both these projects have also been selected for the National Film Development Corporation’s annual co-production market at Film Bazaar 2012.
Tamhane’s first short Six Strands was screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2011. It has toured many festivals including Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival 2011, Slamdance 2011and Edinburgh International Film Festival 2011.
Amit Dutta’s The Room on a Tree too has also been selected for New Cinema Network, the co-production market at Rome Film Festival.
Hubert Bal Fund was founded in 1988 to help independent film makers from developing countries complete their projects. So far the fund...
Post completion, the films will be made a part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam under the competition section or the main sections Bright Future, Spectrum or Signals.
Both these projects have also been selected for the National Film Development Corporation’s annual co-production market at Film Bazaar 2012.
Tamhane’s first short Six Strands was screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2011. It has toured many festivals including Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival 2011, Slamdance 2011and Edinburgh International Film Festival 2011.
Amit Dutta’s The Room on a Tree too has also been selected for New Cinema Network, the co-production market at Rome Film Festival.
Hubert Bal Fund was founded in 1988 to help independent film makers from developing countries complete their projects. So far the fund...
- 11/15/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
I am happy to announce a great addition to SydneysBuzz. Juan Caceres will be writing about his discoveries and thoughts on the Latino Film Circuit. Juan is an independent film producer whose latest credit is Elliot Loves, a feature film that will reach the festival circuit in 2012 and was funded entirely independently. He has also written and directed the award winning short film Hero The Great and is currently adapting a young adult novel into a screenplay that he hopes will be his feature directing debut. Juan's greatest pride is being a founding member and Director of Programming for the HBO New York International Latino International Film Festival. He is also a programming associate for Tribeca All Access, an initiative of the Tribeca Film Festival that aids and supports undeserved minorities in the film industry. He has recently started subjecting his filmmaker friends to his craziness in his blog, 'the science of fresh'. Juan currently lives in an Empire State of Mind.
Being part of the cognoscenti of festivals, his opinion of the inaugural Riviera Maya Film Festival in Mexico is particularly well-informed. So read on!
The Riviera Maya Film Festival concluded its inaugural year on Sunday March 25th after 5 days of screening over 60 films of which half were Mexican premieres. Given that it's in its first year, that is impressive and no easy feat. The ideals of Rmff is to consolidate a connection between the love of cinema, the environment and support for local tourism. The festival solidified that commitment by paying tribute to actress Susan Sarandon, a frequent visitor to the area, with an award for her commitment to global, political and environmental issues.
The programming at Rmff, not without a few missteps, was highly respectable and even exciting. In some ways it made a statement that this is its own film festival and that it is determined to make a mark on the Mexican and international cinema landscape. A festival is always only as good as its film selection and the core reason for the success of Rmff was bringing in Michel Lipkes, who used to program the influential festival Ficco in Mexico City.
Undeterred by being on the heels of Guadalajara International Film Festival (a decision I'm curious about), Rmff boasted a roster of award winning films from across the globe, including a bitter sweet screening of This Is Not A Film (Isa: Wide) by Jafar Panahi and a treat of Wim Wenders' Pina (Isa: HanWay).
The Mexican showcase here was incredibly strong and I found Lipkes' reputation carried such weight that several filmmakers told me that their decision to participate in a first year film festival was solely because of programming team. This included Gabriel Mariño, director of the subtle yet affecting Un Mundo Secreto (Isa: Shoreline), who said that after playing festivals worldwide he never hesitated the offer to screen at Rmff, "As soon as I knew who the programmers were, there was no question I wanted to be a part of the festival" says Mariño. This is factor that will be key to Rmff's future: having a team which is headed by festival director Paula Chaurand and which filmmakers acknowledge and respect. Filmmakers want to know that their 'baby' is in the right hands.
I found the selection eclectic enough to warrant attention in future editions from filmmakers and industry alike -- if it irons out a few kinks. In all fairness, festivals in their first few years are always going to have kinks and quirks, no question about that.
One of the most exciting initiatives presented at Rmff was the RivieraLab, a co-production market and works-in-progress showcase. It screened projects from established, burgeoning and underserved film markets and generated excitement among those in attendance. Look forward to Reimon by Rodrigo Moreno (Argentina/Colombia), Nueva Espana by Raya Martin (Phillipines) & Tormentero by Ruben Imaz (Mexico) to make an impression on the festival circuit in the near future. The RivieraLab is a bold program to take on for most festivals and Rmff was committed enough to connect all the dots and make it a success and something that will eventually draw the eyes of the industry as a trusted place to discover exciting talent.
One thing that I was trying to put my finger on at Rmff was, who is the audience for this festival. By and large it was attended by young locals, an under 40 crowd, which in part was by design making the festival 'inclusive' and not another festival that takes up residence in an unsuspecting town like say, Park City, and turning it into something locals will resent. It's a beautiful gesture that must be connected with industry and cinephiles equally in attendance. At some of the galas I found very few people still left watching the film as the credits rolled which left for an awkward moment for the filmmakers, festival directors and any hope for a post screening Q&A. Fault did not rest on the quality of the film in any case but rather with an audience that perhaps is not used to film festival etiquette - if there is such a thing - and instead were anxious to experience the after party. I can't complain about the beautiful idyllic beach surroundings of the screenings but I'm sure it didn't help. You are planting people in paradise and asking them for two hours of pure focus. Again, not a personal complaint, just an observation.
Important attention will have to be given in identifying who exactly is the festival audience as it seeks to further the benefits to the filmmakers in attendance.
Location wise, Rmff was spread over several towns covering approximate 80 miles which, as far as press goes, can be a logistical problem. It is not ideal when one film alone can consume a large amount of time just in travelling to get to it. This may be another area of Rmff to reconsider: How to consolidate in order to maximize press and audience attendance.
I was incredibly impressed with Rmff as an organization. They were efficient in getting people from location to location and screenings started on time for the most part. The staff was cordial and attentive to attendees, press and filmmakers even if they weren't considered "V.I.P". Judging by all who participated from the “V.I.Ps” down to the volunteers, I left with the feeling that this festival is a film lover’s festival. I'm convinced Rmff will find its own voice and separate itself from any comparisons and be competive with any other festival in Mexico because it has the talent and passion to do so. I think we will be hearing Rmff make even more noise next year. Rmff gave us some of the best Mexico has to offer - Wonderful cinema and wonderful people.
Being part of the cognoscenti of festivals, his opinion of the inaugural Riviera Maya Film Festival in Mexico is particularly well-informed. So read on!
The Riviera Maya Film Festival concluded its inaugural year on Sunday March 25th after 5 days of screening over 60 films of which half were Mexican premieres. Given that it's in its first year, that is impressive and no easy feat. The ideals of Rmff is to consolidate a connection between the love of cinema, the environment and support for local tourism. The festival solidified that commitment by paying tribute to actress Susan Sarandon, a frequent visitor to the area, with an award for her commitment to global, political and environmental issues.
The programming at Rmff, not without a few missteps, was highly respectable and even exciting. In some ways it made a statement that this is its own film festival and that it is determined to make a mark on the Mexican and international cinema landscape. A festival is always only as good as its film selection and the core reason for the success of Rmff was bringing in Michel Lipkes, who used to program the influential festival Ficco in Mexico City.
Undeterred by being on the heels of Guadalajara International Film Festival (a decision I'm curious about), Rmff boasted a roster of award winning films from across the globe, including a bitter sweet screening of This Is Not A Film (Isa: Wide) by Jafar Panahi and a treat of Wim Wenders' Pina (Isa: HanWay).
The Mexican showcase here was incredibly strong and I found Lipkes' reputation carried such weight that several filmmakers told me that their decision to participate in a first year film festival was solely because of programming team. This included Gabriel Mariño, director of the subtle yet affecting Un Mundo Secreto (Isa: Shoreline), who said that after playing festivals worldwide he never hesitated the offer to screen at Rmff, "As soon as I knew who the programmers were, there was no question I wanted to be a part of the festival" says Mariño. This is factor that will be key to Rmff's future: having a team which is headed by festival director Paula Chaurand and which filmmakers acknowledge and respect. Filmmakers want to know that their 'baby' is in the right hands.
I found the selection eclectic enough to warrant attention in future editions from filmmakers and industry alike -- if it irons out a few kinks. In all fairness, festivals in their first few years are always going to have kinks and quirks, no question about that.
One of the most exciting initiatives presented at Rmff was the RivieraLab, a co-production market and works-in-progress showcase. It screened projects from established, burgeoning and underserved film markets and generated excitement among those in attendance. Look forward to Reimon by Rodrigo Moreno (Argentina/Colombia), Nueva Espana by Raya Martin (Phillipines) & Tormentero by Ruben Imaz (Mexico) to make an impression on the festival circuit in the near future. The RivieraLab is a bold program to take on for most festivals and Rmff was committed enough to connect all the dots and make it a success and something that will eventually draw the eyes of the industry as a trusted place to discover exciting talent.
One thing that I was trying to put my finger on at Rmff was, who is the audience for this festival. By and large it was attended by young locals, an under 40 crowd, which in part was by design making the festival 'inclusive' and not another festival that takes up residence in an unsuspecting town like say, Park City, and turning it into something locals will resent. It's a beautiful gesture that must be connected with industry and cinephiles equally in attendance. At some of the galas I found very few people still left watching the film as the credits rolled which left for an awkward moment for the filmmakers, festival directors and any hope for a post screening Q&A. Fault did not rest on the quality of the film in any case but rather with an audience that perhaps is not used to film festival etiquette - if there is such a thing - and instead were anxious to experience the after party. I can't complain about the beautiful idyllic beach surroundings of the screenings but I'm sure it didn't help. You are planting people in paradise and asking them for two hours of pure focus. Again, not a personal complaint, just an observation.
Important attention will have to be given in identifying who exactly is the festival audience as it seeks to further the benefits to the filmmakers in attendance.
Location wise, Rmff was spread over several towns covering approximate 80 miles which, as far as press goes, can be a logistical problem. It is not ideal when one film alone can consume a large amount of time just in travelling to get to it. This may be another area of Rmff to reconsider: How to consolidate in order to maximize press and audience attendance.
I was incredibly impressed with Rmff as an organization. They were efficient in getting people from location to location and screenings started on time for the most part. The staff was cordial and attentive to attendees, press and filmmakers even if they weren't considered "V.I.P". Judging by all who participated from the “V.I.Ps” down to the volunteers, I left with the feeling that this festival is a film lover’s festival. I'm convinced Rmff will find its own voice and separate itself from any comparisons and be competive with any other festival in Mexico because it has the talent and passion to do so. I think we will be hearing Rmff make even more noise next year. Rmff gave us some of the best Mexico has to offer - Wonderful cinema and wonderful people.
- 4/5/2012
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
We have a report or two from the International Film Festival Rotterdam on the way, so this'll be something of a supplementary roundup, collecting reviews, impressions and so on from the festival that runs through Sunday. The first main event would have to be the world premiere of the film Takashi Miike is now calling Ace Attorney. The Iffr has posted a video record of Gawie Keyser's "Big Talk" with Miike that took place on Saturday. The introduction's in Dutch, and it's followed by a trailer with English subtitles (much longer, too, than the first trailer) and the conversation itself is a mingling of questions in English and answers in Japanese with Dutch subtitles. Miike obsessives, though, will be able to sort out what's being said.
"The Iffr and Miike have been friendly towards each other ever since Audition had a few legendary screenings over here back in 2000, and it...
"The Iffr and Miike have been friendly towards each other ever since Audition had a few legendary screenings over here back in 2000, and it...
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
Today's announcement from the International Film Festival Rotterdam lays out the full lineup for the Bright Future program. With descriptions from the festival:
World premieres
A la cantábrica (To La Cantábrica), Ezequiel Erriquez, Argentina. A "coming of age film set in the outskirts of Buenos Aires during the economic crisis of the late 1990s." Blog.
Corta, Felipe Guerrero, Colombia, Argentina, France. Guerrero "associates the work of sugar cane harvesters with the process of 16mm filmmaking. This film is a beautiful, cinematic meditation reminiscent of the work of Sharon Lockhart or Ben Russell." The Ultimate Pranx Case, Influenz Films, Canada. "In 2010, three boys had a prank with a girl at school and streamed it live on Internet. What started as an innocent joke soon got completely out of hand." Par exemple, Electre (Electre, For Instance), Jeanne Balibar and Pierre Léon, France. "In this eclectic homage to the Greek tragedy, Balibar and...
World premieres
A la cantábrica (To La Cantábrica), Ezequiel Erriquez, Argentina. A "coming of age film set in the outskirts of Buenos Aires during the economic crisis of the late 1990s." Blog.
Corta, Felipe Guerrero, Colombia, Argentina, France. Guerrero "associates the work of sugar cane harvesters with the process of 16mm filmmaking. This film is a beautiful, cinematic meditation reminiscent of the work of Sharon Lockhart or Ben Russell." The Ultimate Pranx Case, Influenz Films, Canada. "In 2010, three boys had a prank with a girl at school and streamed it live on Internet. What started as an innocent joke soon got completely out of hand." Par exemple, Electre (Electre, For Instance), Jeanne Balibar and Pierre Léon, France. "In this eclectic homage to the Greek tragedy, Balibar and...
- 1/15/2012
- MUBI
Esteemed Mexican film critic Carlos Bonfil makes an interesting point in a recent article for La Jornada, independent Mexican films which garner critical acclaim in the international film circuit and are therefore perceived as the state of Mexican films, are rarely if ever seen by the general public in its own country. Without attempting to deconstruct the business that enables this paradox, its safe to say that the support Mexican films receive from abroad goes a long way in helping these independent voices continue to be heard. Notice I did not mention the word "made", and that's because Mexican film schools and government grants do fund many of these, it’s the lack of distribution support that is broke. Here are but just a few upcoming directing debuts and brand-spanking new Mexican films to be on the lookout for in 2011. Some may have already made their debut in 2010 and will...
- 1/5/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
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