Landmarks for financing Mediterranean * films

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1 This programme is supported by the European Union Landmarks for financing Mediterranean * films The following list includes funds which could finance Mediterranean projects as well as those events or festivals which offer presentation opportunities and access to grants or prospective financial backers. Supporting funds open to Mediterranean film projects in Europe These funds are well known among producers in the sense that they target specific types of films, those which are at the heart of the programming of those festivals to which they are often linked. In most cases, they are available to projects of all nationalities or of specific geographical (non- European) areas; however, resorting to a national producer may at times be a pre-requisite for postselection access to funds. This list is not exhaustive, as there are several private funds from countries such as the United States (Global film initiative, Ford Foundation, Makefilmsnowar, AlterCiné, Sundance documentary fund ). New funding are also now available in the Arab world like «the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture» ( which supports, among others, the development and production of short and long feature and documentary films aiming at an Arab audience in the Arab region. Many thanks to Jacqueline Ada (CNC), Souad Houssein (OIF), Brigitte Veyne (MFCB) and Dora Bouchoucha (Nomadis Images/MFD) who kindly contributed to this text. - The Jan Vrijman Fund, named after the founder of the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA), it is open to documentaries proceeding from developing countries. Contributions range from 5 to euros, and are made in exchange for distribution rights within the Benelux countries. Funds may support development, production, post-production, distribution, as well as promotional events (workshops, etc). - The Hubert Bals Fund. Created in 1988 as a tribute to the initiator of the Festival of Rotterdam, this is one of the better known funds as it is linked to the CineMart, which also takes place in Rotterdam during the festival and gathers most of those European independent producers who are looking for international projects. The fund distributes 1.2 million euros a year in sums ranging from 10 to euros for feature films and documentaries (in production or post-production) proceeding from developing countries. Divine Intervention, by Elia Suleiman (PA) and Uzak, by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey) are two recipients of Hubert Bals funds. * Works proceeding from the following countries: Algeria, Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey 1

2 - The Göteborg Festival Fund Founded in 1998, this fund works together with the previously described Rotterdam fund and is also dedicated to films proceeding from developing countries, with particular focus on African cinema. With a maximum contribution of euros, the fund has a budget of euros for 2005/2006. In exchange for financing, this fund receives broadcasting rights in Sweden for 7 years, and asks for the Scandinavian premiere to be held in Göteborg. - World Cinema Fund Launched by the Berlin Film Festival in 2004, this fund has a yearly euro endowment. It supports feature fiction and non-fiction films proceeding from Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and the Near and Middle East. The film s budget should be between and 1 million euros and WCF funding supports production (up to euros, with an average funding of euros) or distribution. The original aspect of this fund is the focus on German producers: the project must have, after selection, a German producer involved, a condition which provides easier access to the German market. The Berlin Film Festival has therefore organised, over the last three years, a co-production market to facilitate such contacts. It goes without saying that this market has become a success in and of itself, beyond the WCF projects themselves The WCF has supported, among others, Paradise Now by Hany Abu-Assad and Ghoussoun by Yaron Shani & Scandar Copti (Israel/Palestine), Inosan Productions (Israel), The Feather Man by Azza El Hassan (Palestine), Naousse by Khalil Joreige, J. Hadjithomas (Lebanon), Abbout Productions, Roma Rather Than You by Tariq Teguia (Algeria), Neffa Films, and the documentary Recycle, by the Jordanian Mahmoud Al Massad. - Visions Sud Est Set up in 2005, this fund is endowed with approximately dollars a year. It is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development. It is connected to the Festivals of Nyons and Freiburg in Switzerland and is open to feature length fiction and to the feature length documentary. Support is given to 8-10 productions a year from Asia, Africa, Latin America and non-eu European countries. In exchange for funding, producers must hand over Swiss distribution rights to the Trigon Film company. Visions Sud Est has recently supported Dunia by Jocelyne Saab (Lebanon/Egypt). - Fonds Sud Cinéma Since its creation in 1984, the Fonds Sud Cinéma, set up by the French Ministry of Culture and Communications (CNC) and by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has helped over 350 projects, including several internationally critically-acclaimed and award-winning films. This fund concerns fiction, animation and documentary films targeting distribution within France as well as abroad, and proceeding from the following geographical areas: Africa, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, Latin America, Asia (except Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Brunei), Near and Middle East (except Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar), Central and Eastern Europe 2

3 (non-eu members) and Central Asia (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan). Yearly funding has reached 2.2 million euros, co-financed equally between the Ministry of Culture and Communications (CNC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are three types of support: production support, completion support, and rewriting support. Average funding is of euros and cannot exceed euros. Receiving these funds is subject to: - Presenting all contracts linked to the project, especially those contracts which involve the transfer of intellectual property rights (screenplay and direction) and which involve financing. - The establishment of a co-production contract signed between the production company proceeding from the eligible country and a French legal entity to which all assigned funding will be channelled. - This contract must state that 25-50% of the subsidy involved must be spent in the eligible country. The final percentage will be stated by the first week of filming via a mutually agreed upon courier between the two co-producers. The awarding of funds is valid for 18 months and may be extended to two and a half years in justified cases. - Fonds Francophone de Production Audiovisuelle du Sud Created in 1988, this fund is managed by both the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Conseil international des radios et des télévisions d expression française (Cirtef). Managed by the Direction de la langue française et de la diversité culturelle et linguistique of the OIF, and annually endowed with approximately 2 million euros, access to its funds are based on a bi-annual call for projects with priority given to production (a maximum of euros for a feature length film, etc). The fund aims to facilitate production of 120 hours of cinematographic or television footage, calling on the creative and technical talents from French speaking countries of the south. Since its creation, the fund has supported various audiovisual projects from these countries, such as: Feature length: Heremakono by 'Abdlherramame Sissako (Mauritania), Abouna by Mahamat Haroun Saleh (Chad), Bedwin Hacker by Nadia El Fani (Tunisia) Shorts: Premier Noël by Kamel Chétif (Tunisia), Le Rêve de Rico by Selven Naidu (Maurice), La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil by Djibril Diop Mambéty (Senegal). Events and Festivals For your information, below is a list, in chronological order of occurrence, of those festivals, markets, and professional gatherings which are open to MEDA projects and professionals: CineMart, Rotterdam International Film Festival: the Mecca of independent film makers from around the world, a unique convergence of film festival, a fund, and the 3

4 most attended European co-production market (which has two, euro ARTE grants at its disposal as well as the Prince Claus Fund grant of euros). Berlin International Film Festival - co-production market - World Cinema Fund Talent Campus Cannes International Film Festival and market: - Producers network marché de Cannes without a doubt the most important and recent of networking events in Europe : 500 young producers from around the world get together for the duration of the festival for informational breakfasts with high level professionals, expert consultations, etc the equivalent of the Talent Campus for producers with at least one feature film to their credit. It provides a yearly «spotlight on the South». - Residency and workshop of the Cinéfondation of the festival: a talented pool of young authors from around the world. Open Doors, Festival of Locarno Open Doors is an event sponsored by the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs each year a geographical area is chosen (the Middle East in 2007) and authors from this area are invited to meet European producers and decision makers two grants of CHF and one of euros (CNC) are awarded at the closing of the event. Cinema in Motion (a co-initiative of the festivals of San Sebastian, Amiens and Freiburg): selection of feature films either in process of completing their shooting or at the post-production stage, made by filmmakers from North Africa and Portuguese speaking African countries, as well as Middle-Eastern countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria) since its 2007 edition. 15 to euro grants awards for postproduction. Festival de film francophone de Namur: for the past three years, a co-production forum organised by Belgium, France, Quebec, Switzerland, and French speaking countries of the South. Medimed (Sitges): Mediterranean documentary market. Cinemed, Montpellier awards two development grants (7 000 euros each) and a writing residency. Festival International du Film d Amiens aid for screenplay development (4 grants of approximately 7600 euros each) Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage (bi-annual): project workshops (CNC, Hubert Bals, OIF and Alecso grants) Festival international de Thessalonique and CrossRoads: one of the most recent co-production markets in a symbolic city unique for its exclusively Mediterranean theme ( euro award). Festival des Trois Continents very important for the discovery of talent from the South includes the «produire au Sud» initiative. 4

5 It should also be said that several «pitching» sessions are taking place now in the southern Mediterranean, but they are generally national. For example in 2006, the Jerusalem Festival created the «Jerusalem pitch point», and the delegation of the European Commission to Lebanon organised a similar event for Lebanese projects during its European Film Festival also in The Cairo International Film Festival is also in the process of creating an event awarding grants to young Arab directors. In 2007, the Dubai film festival launched the Dubai Film Connection, a projects market for Arab directors awarding three $ grants. For its 2008 edition, the Dubai Film Connection is offering 3 awards of $ and ARTE will present the International Relations ARTE Prize of Catherine Buresi/Euromed Audiovisual June