Newfeature films from Georgia and Kirghizia are among 16 projectsbacked with a total of more than $3.15m (Euros 2.6m) by the Leipzig-basedregional film fund MDM in its latest round offunding.

Productionsupport of $242,410 (Euros 200,000) was awarded to Kirghiz-born director Marat Saralu's fourth feature Songs From TheSouthern Seas, which will be produced by Kazakhstan's Kino Company, Germany's Rohfilmand France's Nord-ExpressProductions.

Speakingto ScreenDaily.com at Wiesbaden's goEast Film Festival where Rohfilm'sfirst production Polumglawas showing in the International Competition, KarstenStoeter explained that the $1.1m (Euros 900,000)comedy about a conflict between two families in a small Kazakh village hadalready received backing from MedienboardBerlin-Brandenburg and the Berlinale's World CinemaFund and will be distributed internationally by sales agent Beta Film.

Inaddition, $181,777 (Euros 150,000) was allocated to the fantasy comedy The Rainbow Maker by the Oscar-nominatedGeorgian director Nana Djordjadze. Bavaria FilmInternational will handle sales on the co-production between Germany's 27 Films Production andFateless Production with the Netherlands' Lemming Film, Finland's Blind Spot Pictures, Italy's Revolver and Russia's ForaFilm.

Meanwhile,the largest sum $1.1m (Euros 900,000) went to the Halle-basedanimation studio Motion Works for its animation feature A Case For Friends..HowIt All Began (Ein Fall FuerFreunde..Wie Alles Begann), which will be distributed theatrically in Germany byWarner Bros.

Also,project development backing was awarded to NFP teleartfor a historical biopic on Albert Schweitzer and to mediacontentfactoryfor its English-language psychological thriller The Day Before.