THE BALKAN FUND ANNOUNCES THIS YEAR’S NOMINATED PROJECTS
Celebrating its seventh year, the BALKAN FUND, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival Script Development Fund, is due to take place during the 50th edition of the TIFF from the 14th to the 16th of November 2009.
10 projects from 9 different countries have been nominated as the 2009 projects competing for the Balkan Fund awards (a 10.000 € award is granted to each winning project).
This year’s selection will feature Ismail Kadare’s first screenplay, as well as new scripts from Balkan Fund regulars Tudor Giurgiu, Predrag Velinovic and Darko Lungulov. The latter will also screen his award-winning first feature film, Here & There, which won a Balkan Fund award in 2006 and set up co-production deals in the Thessaloniki Film Festival.
The projects nominated for this year’s Balkan Fund are the following:
1. The Girl from Slaveikov Square, writer Georgi Danailov, director Radoslav Spassov, producer Gergana Stankova, Menclips Ltd (Bulgaria)
2. Halima’s Path, writer Fedja Isovic, director / producer Arsen Anton Ostojic, Ars Septima (Croatia)
3. Home, Sweet Home writer Panos Stathoyiannis, director Corinna Avraamidou, producer Kyriacos Tofarides, Avra Productions Ltd (Cyprus)
4. Of Snails and Men, writer Ionut Teianu, director / producer Tudor Giurgiu, Libra Film (Romania)
5. Monument to Michael Jackson, writer / director Darko Lungulov, producers Snezana Penev & Darko Lungulov, Kino Kamera (Serbia)
6. Not a Man if Not a Bother, writer Ranko Bozic, director/ producer Predrag Velinovic, Sirius Production (Serbia)
7. Mother of Asphalt, writers Dalibor Matanic & Tomislac Zajec, director Dalibor Matanic, producer Ankica Juric Tilic, Kinorama (Croatia)
8. Orange Gardens, writer / director Ozkan Kucuk, producers Suncem Kocer & Ozkan Kucuk, Mesopotamia Cinema & Yapim 13 Film Prod. (Turkey)
9. Romanian Spring, writer/director Anca M. Lazarescu, producer Verona Meier, Razor Films (Germany / Romania)
10. Russian Women, writer Ismail Kadare, director Lidia Bobrova, producer Loreta Mokini (Albania / France)
Previous films that emerged from the Balkan Fund include Grand Prix de la Semaine de la Critique winner Snow, Un Certain Regard Award winning film California Dreamin’ (endless), Golden Bear winner Grbavica and many others.
For more information please visit our website www.filmfestival.gr or contact Angeliki Vergou, office manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
