23/11/2006

Two Romanian projects and one each from Greece and Serbia were chosen for awards by the Balkan Fund, during the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (November 17-26).

Among the four is Catalin Mitulescu’s new project A Heart Shaped Balloon, written by Mitulescu and Bogdan Mustata and produced by Daniel Mitulescu. Mitulescu's first feature The Way I Spent the End of the World [+see also:
trailer
film profile] screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Mitulescu’s Romanian compatriot Radu Jude also secured an award for Principles of Life. His screenwriter, Razvan Radulescu, is the man behind the acclaimed The Death of Mr. Lazarescu [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The film is to be produced by Ada Solomon.

The other two projects chosen are Cairo (Greece), to be directed by Stergios Niziris, written by Vassilis Raissis, Stergios Niziris, and produced by Panos Papahatzis, Stella Theodoraki; and Here and There (Serbia), by writer-director Darko Lungulov and producer Goran Radakovic.

A special mention was given to Circus Fantasticus, by Slovenian writer-director Janez Burger.

For the annual Balkan Fund, 12 projects from the countries of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans are presented by their directors or producers to an international five-member jury during a three-day workshop. Four of them are awarded €10,000 each for further script development.

The jury is headed by European industry professionals; this year included French-Bosnian film producer Cedomir Kolar and Peter Carlton, FilmFour Commissioning Executive.

Jasmila Zbanic’ s 2006 Berlinale Golden Bear winner Esma’s Secret [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Barbara Albert
interview: Jasmila Zbanic
film profile] won a development award at the first edition of the Balkan Fund in 2003.

The next Balkan Fund will take place during the 48th TIFF (November 16-25, 2007). The deadline for applications is provisionally set for April 2007.