The Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s fund aimed at supporting filmmakers from developing countries, has announced its latest investments in 31 new film projects.

HBF is to invest $611,361 (€450,000) in projects from 22 countries. Among the projects are new films by Caméra d’Or winner Vimukthi Jayasundara and Philippines’ Adolfo Alix Jr., who’s Manila, co-directed with Raya Martin, screens in Official Selection in Cannes.

All nine projects in the Fund’s postproduction and final financing category are expected to screen in IFFR’s 39th edition (January 27 — February 7). These include Fallen from the Sky by Vimukthi Jayasundara. (His début feature The Forsaken Land, also supported by the HBF, won a Camera d’Or in Cannes 2005.)

The HBF also continues to support prolific young Philippine filmmaker Adolfo Alix Jr. His upcoming film Aurora tells the story of a woman held hostage in the jungle.

Five Asian filmmakers have been granted support in the Fund’s digital production category. From Thailand, Sivaroj Kongsakul will make his début feature film Eternity produced by fellow-filmmaker Aditya Assarat (Wonderful Town. The other winners in this category are the second film by experimental filmmaker Paul Agusta from Indonesia, a new low budget project by Chinese filmmaker Ying Liang (Taking Father Home, Good Cats), a film by Philippine artist Khavn and the second feature film by Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui (Love Conquers All, VPRO Tiger Award 2007).

This Spring 2009 Selection Round, the Fund has awarded 12 filmmakers in the script development category.

The line up of the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund Spring 2009 Selection Round in full:

Postproduction and final financing

10 to 11; Pelin Esmer - Turkey
Aurora; Adolfo B. Alix Jr. - Philippines
Donkey; Antonio Nuic - Croatia/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fallen From the Sky (Ahasin Wataï); Vimukthi Jayasundara - Sri Lanka
Mundane History ; Anocha Suwichakornpong - Thailand
Sun Spots; Yang Heng - China
The True Noon; Nosir Saidov - Tajikistan
Vaho; Alejandro Gerber Bicecci — Mexico
Vertigo (Choi Voi); Bui Thac Chuyen — Vietnam

Digital Production

At the Very Bottom of Everything; Paul Agusta - Indonesia
Blown by the Typhoon; Ying Liang — China
Eternity (Tee Rak); Sivaroj Kongsakul - Thailand
K. (The One And Only Concert Of The Amazing Combo Of Commander Kulas And His Poor But Very Colorful Carabao In The Long And Unwinding Road Of Kamias); Khavn De La Cruz - Philippines
The Year Without a Summer; Tan Chui Mui - Malaysia

Script and Project development

De jueves a domingo; Dominga Sotomayor - Chile
The Dunes; Wang Haolin - China
Instructions for Divorce; Tamara Sulamanidze - Georgia
Leones; Jazmin López - Argentina
Neither the Veil, Nor the Four Walls; Afia Nathaniel - Pakistan
El Nombre de la Hija; Tania Hermida - Ecuador
Red Spider Lily; Weng Shou-ming - China
Solo; Guillermo Rocamora - Uruguay
Sur; Guido Kalwill — Argentina
Twins (Kaluha); Sherad Anthony Sanchez - Philippines
Under the Canebrakes; Iris Elezi - Albania
Vanishing Point ; Jakrawal Nilthamrong - Thailand

Distribution

Absurd and Absurdity; Marat Alykulov — Kyrgyzstan (Oy Art Film
Producing Company, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
The Damned Rain; Satish Manwar — India (Pacific Entertainment, Pune,
India)
Parque Vía; Enrique Rivero Huerta — Mexico (Interior13Cine, Mexico
City, Mexico)

Workshops

DAB Coproduction Forum, Golden Apricot, 6th Yerevan International Film
Festival
Narrative Master Class, Ciné Institute, Jacmel, Haiti

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