HUBERT BALS FUND ROLLS COIN TO 24 PROJECTS
By Melanie Goodfellowlondon

Variety, USA
Oct 26 2006

More than $444,000 handed to filmmakers from developing countries

The Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund, aimed at
fostering filmmaking in developing countries, has awarded Euros 353,000
($444,462) to 24 projects in its fall 2006 selection round.

The grants are awarded over four categories: script and project
development, post-production and distribution, and the recently
announced digital production section (Variety, Oct. 16, 2006).

The selection includes Thai Anocha Suwichakornpong’s "The Sparrow,"
Palestinian Ismail el Habbash’s "Dancing at the Checkpoint" and
Argentine Milagros Mumenthaler’s "Absences," all of which are in
development.

Pics in post-production include Armenian Hovahannes Galstyan’s
"Bonded Parallels," about a female teacher in contemporary Armenia,
and Malaysian Woo Ming Jin’s post-Tsunami tale "The History of Pink
Elephants."

More established directors to have picked up grants include South
African Ntshaveni Wa Luruli, whose Cape Town township-set "Wooden
Camera" previously screened in competish in Rotterdam, and Iranian
Mohammad Shirvani, who attended the 2006 edition of the fest with
"President Mir Qanbar."