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Berlinale World Cinema Fund: New Funding Nominations - artistically, structurally and geographically diverse

At the 26th jury session of the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund (WCF), the juries recommended contributing to the funding of 13 film projects.

Five film projects from Bangladesh, Palestine, Brazil, Afghanistan and Uruguay were nominated for production funding. In the additional WCF Europe funding programme, four projects from Tunisia, Brazil, Argentina and Egypt were nominated for production funding. In the special programme WCF Africa, two projects from South Africa and Sudan / South Africa were nominated for funding.

Two films were nominated for distribution funding in Germany, including Felicité by Alain Gomis, which was awarded the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix at the Berlinale 2017.

The latest funding recommendations also include projects by Berlinale Talents alumni, as well as projects that were once in search of co-producers and so participated in the Berlinale Co-Production Market.

Since its establishment in October 2004, the WCF has awarded production and distribution funding to a total of 173 projects chosen from 3,070 submissions from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, as well as from the countries Mongolia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. All WCF-funded films produced to date have screened in cinemas and/or the programmes of renowned international film festivals, and are evidence of the initiative’s worldwide success.

Production and Distribution Funding

The WCF jury made their selection based on 182 submissions from a total of 47 countries. Their funding recommendations amount to 524,000 euros. The jury members are film scholar and curator Viola Shafik (Germany / Egypt), documentary producer Marta Andreu (Spain), distributor and producer Jan De Clercq (Belgium), and WCF project manager Vincenzo Bugno. For WCF Africa, they are joined by the additional jurors Jahman Oladejo Anikulapo (Nigeria), a journalist, film critic, author and actor; and Dorothee Wenner (Germany), the Berlinale delegate to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Production Funding WCF

The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, director: Muayad Alayan (Palestine),

Production: PalCine Productions (Palestine) and Manderley Films GmbH (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 50.000 euros.

Director Muayad Alayan is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2016).

Iron Stream, director: Kamar Ahmad Simon (Bangladesh), Production: Beginning Film (Bangladesh) and Weydemann Bros. (Germany). Feature Film. Funding: 40.000 euros.

Director Kamar Ahmad Simon is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2012).

The Fever, director: Maya da Rin (Brazil). Production: Enquadramento Produçoes (Brazil), Still Moving (France) and Komplizen Film (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros.

Thus Spoke the Money Changer, director: Federico Veiroj (Uruguay). Production: Oriental Features (Uruguay) Pandora Filmproduktion GmbH (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 48.500 euros.

The Orphanage, director: Shahrbanoo Sadat (Afghanistan). Production: Wolf Pictures (Afghanistan) and Adomeit Films (Germany / Denmark). Feature Film. Funding: 60.000 euros.

WCF Europe

WCF Europe has been made possible with the support of the European Commission’s Creative Europe MEDIA Programme. Production funding has been recommended for:

Weldi, director: Mohamed Ben Attia (Tunisia), Production: Nomadis Images (Tunisia) and Les Films du Fleuve (Belgium). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros.

Director Mohamed Ben Attia received the GWFF Best First Feature Award for his feature debut Inhebbek Hedi which was shown in competition at the Berlinale 2016.

Overgod, director: Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil). Production: Desvia (Brazil) and Snowglobe (Denmark). Feature film. Funding: 60.000 euros.

The project was chosen for Berlinale Co-Production Market (2015).

Muere, Monstruo, Muere!, director: Alejandro Fadel (Argentina). Production: La Unión de los Ríos (Argentina) and Rouge International (France). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros.

The project was chosen for Berlinale Co-Production Market (2017).

Amal, director: Mohamed Siam (Egypt), Production: Artkhana (Egypt) and Andolfi Films (France). Documentary. Funding: 30.000 €. Director Mohamed Siam is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2012).

WCF Africa

WCF Africa, which grants funding for projects from Sub-Saharan Africa, was launched in 2016 thanks to additional funding from the German Federal Foreign Office. Recommendations for production funding:

A Kasha, director: Hajooj Kuka (Sudan) Production: Big World Cinema (South Africa). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 €. Director Hajooj Kuka is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2016).

Sew the Winter to my Skin, director: Jahmil X.T (South Africa). Production: Spier Moving (South Africa). Feature film. Funding: 60.000 €.

WCF Distribution Funding in Germany

Felicité

Director: Alain Gomis (Senegal / France). Distribution: Grandfilm (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 10.000 €.

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix at Berlinale 2017

German release: August 31, 2017

Frenzy (original title: Abluka)

Director: Emin Alper (Turkey). Distribution: Grandfilm (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 5.500 €.

German release: October 18, 2017

The World Cinema Fund is an initiative of the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Berlin International Film Festival, in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office, with further support by the Goethe-Institut.

The special WCF Europe programme was launched with the support of the European Commission’s Creative Europe MEDIA programme.

Thanks to additional funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, the special programme WCF Africa was started in 2016.