Hubert Bals Fund supports 46 film projects

June 2005 -

The Hubert Bals fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will contribute a total of € 630,000 to 46 film projects and initiatives in non-Western countries. The films that were awarded a contribution for post-production during the selection round this spring included Carlos Reygadas' Batalla en el Cielo (Battle in Heaven) and Sangre by Amat Escalante, both of which can be seen in Cannes 2005.

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Still from Batalla en el Cielo

The Hubert Bals Fund is also supporting Ahlaam (The Dreams) by Mohamed Al Daradji from Iraq, a story about the experience of a woman in Baghdad after the fall of the Saddam regime. And Gie by Riri Riza from Indonesia, a historical film based on the life of activist and author Soe Hok Gie. The IFFR expects many of the films that are receiving a contribution from the fund to be shown during the film festival in January and February 2006.

Each year the Hubert Bals Fund is able to give about € 1.2 million. It uses these funds to support scenario development, post-production and distribution in the country of origin. The fund also supports initiatives for training film makers in developing countries.

In the Netherlands, films produced with help from the Hubert Bals Fund can be seen in film theatres, during 'Tigers on Tour' and in the NPS television series 'World Cinema', and can be downloaded from www.tigeronline.nl, the first website for art house films.

The Hubert Bals Fund is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hivos-NCDO Culture Fund, NPS and the DOEN foundation.