Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund (WCF) awarded 11 production and three distribution grants worth a combined Euros360,000 in its latest funding round.
Funding recommendations were made by a jury including Marta Andreu (Spain), Ayşe Polat (Germany), Viola Shafik (Germany, Egypt) and WCF head Vincenzo Bugno (Italy, Germany). Additionally, the jurors for WCF Africa included Alex Moussa Sawadogo (Burkina Faso) and Dorothee Wenner (Germany).
WCF is an initiative of the German Federal Cultural Foundation and Berlin International Film Festival, in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office and further support by the Goethe-Institut. WCF Europe was launched with the support of the EU’s Creative Europe MEDIA programme. WCF Africa was started in 2016 with additional funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.
WCF PRODUCTION FUNDING:
Demba, dir: Mamadou Dia (Senegal)
Prod: Joyeddi Sarl (Senegal), Maba Ba, NiKo Film (Germany), Nicole Gerhards
Funding: €35,000
The Misterious Gaze Of The Flamingo, dir: Diego Céspedes (Chile)
Prod: Quijote Films & Rampante (Chile), Giancarlo Nasi
Funding: €34,000
Nunkui, dir: Verenice Benítez (Ecuador)
Prod: Caleidoscopio Cine (Ecuador), Isabela Parra
Funding: €30,000
Talitha Kumi, dir: Hadar Morag (Israel)
Prod: Medalia Prods (Israel), Hilla Medalia; Maze Pictures (Germany), Caroline Daube
Funding: €40,000
A Useful Ghost, dir: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Thailand)
Prod: 185 Films Co (Thailand), Cattleya Paosrijaroen
Funding: €35,000
Zone|Myth, dir: Darya Yurkevich (Belarus)
Prod: AN|DA Film (Belarus), Darya Yurkevich; Doppelplusultra (Germany), Frank Müller [Documentary]
Funding: €35,000
WCF Europe:
Boomerang, dir: Shahab Fotouhi (Iran)
Prod: Rainy Pictures (Iran), Majib Barzegar; New Matter Films (Germany), Mariam Shatberashvili
Funding: €30,000
Inside The Noise, dir: Martina Juncadella (Argentina)
Prod: Una Presencia (Argentina), Julieta Juncadella; House on Fire (France), Vincent Wang
Funding: €30,000
WCF Africa:
Minimals In A Titanic World, dir: Philbert Aime Mbabazi Sharangabo (Rwanda)
Prod: Imitana Prods (Rwanda), Philbert Aime Mbabazi Sharangabo
Funding: €25,000
The Nights Still Smell Of Gunpowder, dir: Inadelso Cossa (Mozambique)
Prod: 16mm Filmes (Mozambique), Inadelso Cossa; Kaske Films (Germany), Thomas Kaske [Documentary]
Funding: €25,000
DISTRIBUTION FUNDING:
Cinema Release in Germany:
Omen, dir: Baloji (DRC)
Distribution: Grandfilm
German cinema release: April 4, 2024
Funding: €8,000
Mami Wata, dir: C.J. “Fiery” Obasi (Nigeria) [PICTURED ABOVE]
Distribution: Cinemalovers e.V.
German cinema release: January 11, 2024
Funding: €3,000
Distribution Funding WCF Europe:
Eureka, dir: Lisandro Alonso (Argentina)
World Sales: Filmgarten (Austria)
Distribution: Filmgarten (Austria), Grandfilm (Germany) & LAT-E (Argentina)
German cinema release: March 21, 2024.
Funding: €30,000
WCF Europe–TFL Audience Design Award:
[A dedicated programme of consultancy on audience design, provided by internationally recognised experts chosen by TorinoFilmLab]
Muchachos Bañándose En El Lago, dir: Michael Labarca (Venezuela)
Prod: Todos los Ríos (Venezuela), Patricia Ramírez-Arévalo; Ticket Shoot Films (France), René Osi