Registration for HBF+Brasil: Development Support Initiative — a groundbreaking initiative by the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), linked to the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) — opened this Monday (September 8th) and closes on September 9th at 15:23 pm (Amsterdam time – CEST). The initiative is supported by the City of Rio, through RioFilme, in partnership with Projeto Paradiso and Spcine. The proposal is to foster the development of early-stage Brazilian feature-length fiction projects. Up to nine projects will be selected: four filmmakers from Rio de Janeiro, four from São Paulo, and one from another city in the country. The registration form is available at Fund's website.
Focusing on original, innovative, and culturally relevant Brazilian narratives, the program offers nine grants of 10 euros, as well as international visibility. The initiative seeks to foster collaborations between professionals from Brazil and abroad, combining the knowledge and resources of three local partners—RioFilme, Spcine, and Projeto Paradiso—with the expertise of the Hubert Bals Fund, recognized for supporting projects with strong artistic and collaborative potential. This is the first international initiative of this size undertaken by the HBF.
The selection process focuses on second or third feature-length fiction films by Brazilian directors. The main evaluation criteria include the artistic quality of the proposal, its viability, and its alignment with the IFFR's curatorial profile. Detailed information regarding eligibility, selection criteria, and materials required for participation has already been made available on the website.
HBF+Brasil is the result of an increasingly solid collaboration between the Hubert Bals Fund and Brazil. One of the recent milestones of this partnership is the publication "Development of Impact," launched during the São Paulo International Film Festival in October 2024 by HBF in partnership with Projeto Paradiso. The publication reflects on the fundamental role of financing in the early stages of film development.
