35th International Film Festival Rotterdam
25 January – 5 February 2006
Arte France Cinema Awards and Prince Claus Fund Film Grant handed out at CineMart 2006 Closing Night Party

During the CineMart 2006 Closing Night Party, Wednesday February 1, 2006 in Club Rotterdam (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), the two Arte France Cinema Awards went to CineMart 2006 Projects A MEXICAN STORY by Arturo Aristakisian (Mexico/Russia) and the Hubert Bals Fund supported HEI TIE DE RI ZI (BLACK IRON DAYS) by Wang Bing (China/France). The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant was awarded to CineMart 2006 Project LASYA (THE GENTLE
DANCE) by Anup Singh (India).


Arte France Cinema Awards
The Arte France Cinema Awards (each 10,000 Euro) for the best CineMart 2006 Projects were given to A MEXICAN STORY by Arturo Aristakisian (Mexico/Russia, produced by NoDream Cinema) and HEI TIE DE RI ZI (BLACK IRON DAYS) by Wang Bing (China/France, produced by Wang Bing Film Workshop, Æternam Films). BLACK IRON DAYS received script development support from the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund (in 2003) and Cinéfondation Cannes (in 2004). The Arte France Cinema Awards Jury consisted of Michel Reilhac (Arte France Cinéma, France), Juliette Renaud (Wild Bunch,
Frankrijk) and Tanya Blumstein (Paramount Classics, Frankrijk). The Arte France Cinéma Awards are in cash, given to the producers towards financing the development of the awarded projects. By introducing the Award, Arte France Cinéma and CineMart aim to further support and promote the development and production of independent filmmaking.

Prince Claus Fund Film Grant
The sixth Prince Claus Fund Film Grant of 15,000 Euro has been awarded to the CineMart 2006 Project LASYA (THE GENTLE DANCE) by Anup Singh (India, produced by The Wandering Film Company). The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant aims at supporting the first creative phase of the development of a film production.

The Jury has opted unanimously for what was clearly one of the strongest ideas amongst the 2006 CineMart selection. This powerful, poetic and human project portrays the story of a young woman who - despite collective and personal tragedies - finds the strength and desire to pursue her hopes for a better life. Set against the backdrop of a city that is in a state of constant flux, construction work and economic growth, the film represents the will to survive of the people who inhabit these urban spaces: their sense of hope, personal growth, reconciliation and, above all, their humanity. To quote the director Anup Singh, this film tells the story of the ‘Eternal Struggle: of nature and humanity, the big city and the individual, and humanity against itself.’

The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant is annually awarded in cooperation with CineMart to support the very first creative phase of the development of a film production. Every year, the Film Grant is presented to a CineMart project by a filmmaker from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean, and selected for its excellent concept and innovative quality by an international expert jury.

The Jury of the 2006 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant consisted of: Ido Abram (The Netherlands), director of the Binger Film Institute; Shanty Harmayn (Indonesia), film producer and recipient of the 2002 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant; Ronald Ockhuysen (The Netherlands), film critic for ‘de Volkskrant’ newspaper and the VPRO broadcasting company; Peter Rorvik (South Africa), director of the Durban International Film Festival; Karim Traïdia (The Netherlands/Algeria), filmmaker, member of the Board of the Prince Claus Fund, and chairman of the Jury for the 2006 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant.

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