Resources Sharing

Deadlines: Every March 1 and August 1

The Hubert Bals Fund is designed to bring remarkable or urgent feature films by innovative and talented filmmakers from developing countries closer to completion. The HBF provides grants that often turn out to play a crucial role in enabling these filmmakers to realize their projects.

Although the Fund looks closely at the financial aspects of a project, the decisive factors remain its content and artistic value. Since the Fund started in 1988, close to 900 projects from independent filmmakers in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America have received support. Approximately 80% of these projects have been realised or are currently in production. Every year, the IFFR screens completed films supported by the Fund.

Project Entry

STEP 1: Please read the regulations first.
STEP 2: The Hubert Bals Fund Application webform (see below)

The Hubert Bals Fund gives financial support twice a year. Application deadlines are March 1 and August 1. All materials should arrive no later than 5 days after the deadline.

It is essential that the filmmaker is a citizen and lives and works in a developing country as mentioned in the DAC-List.

Applications should be in English or in French. Although the Fund has no rigid rules and each individual project will be judged on its own merits there are certainly limits to the field in which the Hubert Bals Fund operates.

The prime consideration of the panel that considers all the projects, will be the artistic qualities of an application.

Country of development and of the production should be one of the developing countries.

The entry should be original, authentic and rooted in the culture of the applicant's country.

The project should contribute to the development of the local film industry and the local film-making skills.

For the Fund to participate in a project, there should be a strong possibility that the rest of the finance can be found. Therefore applicants approaching the Fund should have other interested partners in place.

The Fund is restricted to the support of feature films and creative, feature length documentary projects with theatrical potential. Shorts, documentaries and films specially made for television cannot be taken in consideration. From March 2010 creative documentary applications will only be accepted for the Postproduction category. Eventual support for documentaries can be given by the Jan Vrijman Fund of the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

The Fund operates with 5 different categories:

1. Script and project development

The maximum contribution for script and project development is 10.000 Euro.

Applications should be accompanied by:

synopsis
treatment of between 8 and 10 pages
director's statement
budget for script and project development
financial plan with confirmed financing, if available (include copy of the agreements)
(pre-)production schedule
filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)
previous films of the filmmaker on DVD (2 copies)

2. Digital Production

Funding up to 20.000 Euro for Digital Production of a feature length fiction film with a maximum budget of 100.000 Euro

Applications should be accompanied by:

synopsis
director's statement
elaborate treatment or script
budget and financial plan
production schedule
filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)
previous films of the filmmaker on DVD (2 copies)

3. Post-production funding or final-financing

The maximum contribution in this category is 30.000 Euro.

Applications should be accompanied by:

synopsis
director's statement
post-production schedule
Two DVD's with the first cut; in case the DVD has no subtitles please enclose the English or French dialogue list
detailed (postproduction) budget
financial plan with confirmed financing (include copy of agreements)
filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)

4. Distribution

Funding up to a maximum of 15.000 Euro.

The distribution category of the HBF is designed to support alternative distribution projects (such as travelling cinema initiatives or outreach programmes) or the special release of an independent film in the country/region of origin.

Applications should be accompanied by:

A. English or French subtitled final cut on DVD (2 copies)

B. A detailed release proposal that includes:

a brief (1 page) description of the current situation for release of independent film in the territory and motivation for submission project
expected audience attendance
information on revenue percentages for producers, distributor and exhibitor
a brief (1 page) description of the current situation for release of independent film in the territory
total estimated income for the theatrical release
proposed number and cost of prints
copy of the distribution guarantees
filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)

5. Workshops

Funding up to a maximum of 10.000 Euro.

Applications should be accompanied by:

detailed description of the event
goal(s) or intentions of the event
possible participants (target group)
biographies of organizers
detailed budget
financial plan with confirmed financing, if available (include copy of the agreements)
production schedule

- - - - - -
Please note:

Applications can only be submitted more than once when specifically invited to do so.
Applications can only be processed if all requested materials are received by the deadline. All materials should arrive in our office no later than five days after the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.
All submissions should be made in English or French.
Selected projects will be announced 10 weeks after the date of the submission deadline.
Questions? Please check our Frequently Asked Questions section here.
Applications and requested information in English or French should be sent to:

By ordinary (air)mail:
International Film Festival Rotterdam
Attn. Hubert Bals Fund
P.O.Box 21696
3001 AR Rotterdam
the Netherlands

By express carrier:
(Please mention "Without commercial value, for cultural purposes only" and mark "no value", or "not more than 10 US dollar")

International Film Festival Rotterdam
Attn. Hubert Bals Fund
Karel Doormanstraat 278 B
3012 GP Rotterdam
the Netherlands
(please mark: 'no value' or 'value 10 US$')

STEP 2: THE HUBERT BALS FUND WEBFORM

Please follow the steps of the application procedure. After confirming, and before finishing your application you will be able to attach up to ten documents with the requested information and materials.