VAF makes generous start to year
While the press rejoices at the strong presence of Flemish shorts at the upcoming Berlinale, the Vlaams Audiovisual Fund has announced the results of its latest feature funding session.
Three very different directors will receive production support. First up is newcomer Bavo Defurne, whose debut feature, Nordzee, Texas, will be produced by Indeed Films, a company specialised in low-budget debut films. The €550,000 granted by the VAF should thus cover a large part of the film’s budget.
Also set to receive funding is Christophe Van Rompaey’s third film, Vincent en het Einde van Wereld, to be produced by A Private View. In the meantime, viewers will soon be able to discover his second film, Blanco, produced by Koen Mortier and Eurydice Gysel’s company Epidemic.
Meanwhile, €650,000 will go to Patrice Toye’s third feature, Uitgewist, produced by Prime Time.
Minority co-production Montana, by Stephan Streker (director of Michael Blanco), will get €112,500.
The VAF is preparing the box office future by investing in the development of new projects by audience favourites. Media-friendly director Nic Balthazar is back with his second project, Team Mario, about a subject that caused controversy in 2002, when the first Belgian patient died after taking advantage of the euthanasia law. The project received a special mention from the jury at the latest Rome Film Festival’s New Cinema Network. This guarantees publicity for producer Eyeworks.
The latter will also get backing for Marina, the latest musical biopic by Stijn Coninx (after Sister Smile [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). This time, the director will focus his camera on Italian icon and crooner Rocco Granata.
The VAF also awarded funding to Dominique Deruddere, who returns with Berlin Palace, and to Fien Troch, who is preparing her third film, Kid.
Finally, Pieter Van Hees is starting to prepare The Wasteland, which will close his trilogy that began with Left Bank [+see also:
trailer
film profile], followed by Dirty Mind [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The film will be shot in Brussels and produced by Epidemic.
(Translated from French)
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