International co-productionslead the line-up of new feature film projects backed in the latest $3.8m (Euros3m) funding round from Duesseldorf-based Filmstiftung NRW International.

The regional public fund hasawarded backing to Ken Loach's next project TheseTimes, which is being written by his regular collaborator Paul Laverty andwill be co-produced by The Wind ThatShakes The Barley's German partner EMC Produktion, while Zero West received support for Roger Spottiswoode's The Children of Huang Shi, based on thetrue story of an Englishman who saved 60 orphans from the Japanese army inChina by marching them 1,500 kilometres through China, which will be producedwith Chinese and Australian partners.

Support was also given to The Syrian Bride director Eran Riklis'new project Lemon Tree as aGerman-Israeli-Swiss-French coproduction; 33Szenen Aus Dem Leben, Polish filmmaker Malgosia Szumowska's secondcollaboration with Cologne-based Pandora Film after Stranger (Ono); and Serbian film-maker Stefan Arsenijevic's featuredebut Love and Other Crimes, whichwill be produced by Icon Film as a German-Serbian-Slovenian co-production starringAnica Dobra.

The largest sum at thissession - $826,800 (Euros 650,000) - went to Adnan G. Koese's Ironman, about the story of the Germany'sStefan Niedrig going from junkie to world class athlete, starring Max Riemelt,Jasmin Schwiers, Axel Stein and Robert Gwisdek; followed by $674,212 (Euros530,000) for Mediopolis' German-Austrian-Swiss co-production of Hanna's Words by Sabine Derflinger aboutthe encounter between a trumpeter and a terminally ill woman.

In addition, $636,074 (Euros500,000) was awarded to the animation feature film Prinzessin Lillifee, which is being produced by neue deutscheFilmgesellschaft and Caligari Film with broadcaster WDR.

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