Hubert Bals Fund Regulations and Application Form

STEP 1: Please read the regulations first.
STEP 2: The Hubert Bals Fund Application webform (see below)

The Hubert Bals Fund gives financial support twice a year. Application deadlines are March 1 and August 1. All materials should arrive no later than 5 days after the deadline.

It is essential that the filmmaker is a citizen and lives and works in a developing country as mentioned in the DAC-List.

Applications should be in English or in French. Although the Fund has no rigid rules and each individual project will be judged on its own merits there are certainly limits to the field in which the Hubert Bals Fund operates.

• The prime consideration of the panel that considers all the projects will be the artistic qualities of an application.
• Country of development and of the production should be one of the developing countries.
• The entry should be original, authentic and rooted in the culture of the applicant's country.
• The project should contribute to the development of the local film industry and the local film-making skills.
• For the Fund to participate in a project, there should be a strong possibility that the rest of the finance can be found. Therefore applicants approaching the Fund should have other interested partners in place.
• The Fund is restricted to the support of feature films and creative, feature length documentary projects with theatrical potential. Shorts, documentaries and films specially made for television cannot be taken in consideration. Eventual support for documentaries can be given by the Jan Vrijman Fund of the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

The Fund operates with 4 different categories:

1. Script and project development
The maximum contribution for script and project development is 10.000 Euro.

Applications should be accompanied by: 

• synopsis
• treatment of between 8 and 10 pages
• director's statement
• budget for script and project development
• financial plan with confirmed financing, if available (include copy of the agreements)
• (pre-)production plan
• filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)
• previous films of the filmmaker on DVD

2. Digital Production

Funding up to 20.000 Euro for Digital Production of a film with a maximum budget of 100.000 Euro

Applications should be accompanied by:

• synopsis
• director's statement
• script (or for documentaries, detailed description of the film including style, method of work, and research)
• budget and financial plan
• production plan
• filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)
• previous films of the filmmaker on DVD

3. Post-production funding or final-financing
The maximum contribution in this category is 30.000 Euro. 

Applications should be accompanied by:

• synopsis
• director's statement
• post-production schedule
• a DVD with the rough cut or rushes; in case the DVD has no subtitles please enclose the English or French dialogue list
• detailed budget
• financial plan with confirmed financing (include copy of agreements)
• filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)

4. Distribution
Funding up to a maximum of 15.000 Euro.

Applications should be accompanied by:

A. English or French subtitled final cut on DVD

B. A detailed release proposal that includes:

• information on revenue percentages for producers, distributor and exhibitor
• a brief (1 page) description of the current situation for release of independent film in the territory
• total estimated income for the theatrical release
• proposed number and cost of prints
• copy of the distribution guarantees
• filmography of the filmmaker(s) and producer(s)

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Please note:  

• Applications can only be submitted more than once when there have been considerable changes since the last application.
• Applications can only be processed if all requested materials are received by the deadline. All materials should arrive no later than five days after the deadline. Incomplete applications risk being postponed by six months to the next round of submissions.
• All submissions should be made in English or French.
• Selected projects will be announced 10 weeks after the date of the submission deadline.

Applications and requested information in English or French should be sent to:

By ordinary (air)mail:
International Film Festival Rotterdam
Attn. Hubert Bals Fund
P.O.Box 21696
3001 AR Rotterdam
the Netherlands

By express carrier:
(Please mention "Without commercial value, for cultural purposes only" and mark "no value", or "not more than 10 US dollar")

International Film Festival Rotterdam
Attn. Hubert Bals Fund
Karel Doormanstraat 278 B
3012 GP Rotterdam
the Netherlands
(please mark: 'no value' or 'value 10 US$')



STEP 2: THE HUBERT BALS FUND WEBFORM
Please follow the steps of the application procedure. After confirming, and before finishing your application you will be able to attach up to five documents with the requested information and materials.