The Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has announced its support for 15 feature films under its Development Support scheme, awarding grants of €10,000 to each project. Selected from over 900 submissions, this round stands out for including, for the first time, a project from Tanzania, as well as works by filmmakers from Syria, Albania, Cuba, and other territories rarely represented in the fund’s history. Additionally, three projects come from Sub-Saharan Africa: Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal.

This round reaffirms the HBF’s commitment to fostering new voices and underexplored territories, featuring notable IFFR alumni such as Timoteus Anggawan Kusno (IFFR 2025 Focus), Farida Baqi (The Visual Feminist Manifesto, IFFR 2025 Youth Jury Award), Stephanie Ricci (Those Who Move, IFFR 2025 Short & Mid-length), Renata Dzhalo (On This Land, IFFR 2025 Bright Future), Amanda Nell Eu (Tiger Stripes), and Mamadou Dia (Nafi’s Father).

The announcement comes as the HBF expands its reach, following the launch of the pilot Displacement Film Fund, the new HBF+Brazil: Co-Development Support Scheme, and a string of recent premieres and awards at festivals such as Cannes, Locarno, and Venice.

“This scheme is one of the few that provides trust and financial backing to projects at their earliest stages, serving as a vital platform for artists,” said Tamara Tatishvili, head of the fund. “We aim to maximize our impact by reaching regions historically underrepresented while selecting strong, diverse artistic proposals with innovative voices.”

Selected Highlights

Tanzanian filmmaker Amil Shivji presents Last Cow, a satire about conservation and tourism on ancestral lands, co-produced by Ethiopian-Canadian producer Tamara Dawit, a Rotterdam Lab alumna. From Mozambique, Inadelso Cossa examines the colonial legacy in Mwadia, while Rwandan filmmaker Moise Ganza portrays a mystical journey between tradition and modernity in Tears. From Senegal, Mamadou Dia delves into rituals and beliefs in Coumba.

Albanian director Neritan Zinxhiria will explore the archaeology of the future with The Appalling Human Voice of the Animals. Cuban filmmaker Carlos Lechuga revisits the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in Amateur, a story of impossible love within the Cuban delegation.

Syrian filmmaker Farida Baqi will examine female sexuality in The Rapture, while Indonesian artist Timoteus Anggawan Kusno tackles violence and memory in Orphaned Atlas. Russian filmmaker Renata Dzhalo explores the bureaucratic cruelty of 2000s Russia in Nobody to See Us.

From Malaysia, Amanda Nell Eu blends folklore and body horror in Lotus Feet, inspired by the legend of the Penanggalan, while Chris Chong Chan Fu portrays the hidden humanity of Kuala Lumpur in Moto.

Brazilian director Stephanie Ricci dives into São Paulo’s nightlife with Boca da noite, while Mongolian filmmaker Xiaoxuan Jiang analyzes the relationship between researcher and community in Girl With a Camera. India is represented by Where Shadows Wait by Arya Rothe, about family reconciliation, and The Immigrants by Suman Mukhopadhyay, set during the 1947 Partition.

Full list of selected projects:

• Amateur, Carlos Díaz Lechuga, Cuba, Spain
• The Appalling Human Voice of the Animals, Neritan Zinxhiria, Greece, Albania
• Boca da noite, Stephanie Ricci, Brazil
• Coumba, Mamadou Dia, Senegal
• Girl With a Camera, Xiaoxuan Jiang, Hong Kong, China
• The Immigrants, Suman Mukhopadhyay, India
• Last Cow, Amil Shivji, Tanzania, Canada
• Lotus Feet, Amanda Nell Eu, Malaysia
• Moto, Chris Chong Chan Fui, Malaysia
• Mwadia, Inadelso Cossa, Mozambique
• Nobody to See Us, Renata Dzhalo, Kazakhstan, France, Moldova
• Orphaned Atlas, Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, Indonesia
• The Rapture, Farida Baqi, Syria, Lebanon, Germany, Netherlands
• Tears, Moise Ganza, Rwanda
• Where Shadows Wait, Arya Rothe, India, Italy