Introduction to the Hubert Bals Fund
The Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) from the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has selected 15 feature film projects for its development support system in 2025. These projects include new works by award-winning directors such as Malaysia’s Amanda Nell EU, Senegal’s Mamadou Dia, Syria’s Farida Baqi, and Mongolia’s Xiaoxi-Xiaoxi-Xiaoxi-Xiaoxuan-Jiang. The selected projects will receive a grant of €10,000 to support their development.
Diverse Voices from Around the World
The 15 projects were selected from over 900 applications, showcasing the fund’s commitment to supporting new and diverse voices from all over the world. For the first time, the HBF is supporting a project from Tanzania, which is followed by projects from other rarely supported territories. Filmmakers from Syria, Albania, and Cuba are also notable inclusions in this round, along with three other projects from Africa south of the Sahara: Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal.
Projects from Around the World
Some of the notable projects include:
- Tanzanian filmmaker Amil Shivji’s satirical project "Last Cow," which critiques preservation and tourism at the expense of indigenous communities.
- Amanda Nell Eu’s "Lotus Feet," a fantastical body horror film based on the history of the Malaysian folk monster, Penanggalan.
- Chris Chong Chan Fui’s "Moto," which explores humanity in the midst of a rapidly developing metropolis in Kuala Lumpur.
- Inadelso Cossa’s "Mwadia," a surrealistic and magical realist reflection on Mozambique’s colonial past and present trauma.
Supporting Emerging Talent
The HBF’s support for these projects marks an important milestone in the development of emerging talent in the film industry. The fund’s focus on diversity and inclusivity has led to the selection of projects that showcase unique perspectives and voices from around the world. By providing financial support and a platform for these filmmakers, the HBF is helping to launch the careers of the next generation of film industry leaders.
More Projects and Filmmakers
Other notable projects and filmmakers include:
- Senegalese filmmaker Mamadou Dia’s "Coumba," which follows a detective who returns to her hometown to investigate a murder linked to the first full moon of the year.
- Syrian filmmaker Farida Pacha’s "The Rapture," which examines the sexual awakening of an Arab woman in the 1950s.
- Xiaoxuan Jiang’s "Girl with a Camera," about a young and ambitious scholar who arrives at her remote field site in Inner Mongolia and must face the chaotic dynamics between scholar and subject.
- Cuban filmmaker Carlos Lechuga’s "Amateur," which follows an impossible and forbidden love between two men from the Cuban sports delegation during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Conclusion
The Hubert Bals Fund’s development support system is a vital platform for emerging filmmakers from around the world. By providing financial support and a launchpad for their projects, the HBF is helping to promote diversity and inclusivity in the film industry. As Tamara Tatishvili, head of the Hubert Bals Fund, noted, "The development support scheme of HBF is one of the few international programs that offer this type of trust and funds for projects in their genesis and offer an important launchpad for artists."
