At the 23^rd jury session of the World Cinema Fund (WCF), the jury recommended contributing to the funding of ten film projects.

 

Four film projects – from Myanmar, Turkey, Chad and Senegal - were suggested for production funding. In addition, distribution funding was recommended for the German cinema release of a film from Venezuela.

Within the framework of the WCF Europe programme, production funding was proposed for projects from Brazil, Argentina and Chile. A distribution funding recommendation for cinema releases in Hungary, Portugal and Brazil went to a film from Thailand.

Since its establishment in October 2004, the WCF has awarded production and distribution funding to a total of 140 projects chosen from 2,624 submissions from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, as well as from the countries Mongolia, Nepal, Bangladesh 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.

Latest Funding Recommendations

The WCF jury made their selection based on 120 submissions from a total of 47 countries. Their funding recommendations amount to 314,000 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.

WCF production funding:

The Road to Mandalay, director: Midi Z (Myanmar). Producer: Myanmar Montage Productions (Myanmar). Feature film. Funding: 30,000 euros.

Something Useful, director: Pelin Esmer (Turkey). Producer: Mars Production (Turkey) and Mitosfilm (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 40,000 euros.

The Waiting Bench, director: Suhaib Gasmelbari (Sudan). Producer: Goï Goï Productions (Chad). Documentary. Funding: 30,000 euros.

Felicity, director: Alain Gomis (Senegal). Producer: Cinekap (Senegal). Feature film. Funding: 40,000 euros.

WCF distribution funding:

Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), director: Mariana Rondón (Venezuela). German distributor: imFilm - Agentur + Verleih. Feature film. Release in Germany: 2016. Funding: 9,000 euros.

WCF Europe  

Within the framework of the WCF Europe programme, which has been made possible by additional financing from the European Commission’s Creative Europe MEDIA programme, the WCF recommends funding the production of the following projects:

Pendular, director: Julia Murat (Brazil). Producer: Still Moving (France) and Esquina (Brazil). Feature film. Funding: 20,000 euros.

Paintings in the Dark, director: Paula Markovitch (Argentina). Producer: Staron-Film (Poland) and Rizoma (Argentina). Feature film. Funding: 45,000 euros.

A cidade onde envelheço, director: Marilia Rocha (Brazil). Producer: Terratreme (Portugal) and Anavilhana (Brazil). Feature film. Funding: 30,000 euros.

Jesus, director: Fernando Guzzoni (Chile). Producer: unafilms (Germany) and Rampante Films (Chile). Feature film. Funding: 40,000 euros.

Distribution funding:

Cemetery of Splendour, director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand).

Distributors: Cirko Film (Hungary), Mida Filmes (Portugal), Zeta Filmes Ltda. (Brazil). Feature film. Funding: 30,000 euros.

Release in Hungary: December 10, 2015; Portugal: March 10, 2016; Brazil: March 10, 2016.

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.