My poll 66 is inspired by three films I just saw in the Bangkok International Film Festival – AURORA, INDEPENDENCIA, and INLAND. These three films have one thing in common. All of them are supported by Hubert Bals Fund, or at least they are involved in one way or another with Hubert Bals Fund.
During the past ten years, whenever I see the words "Hubert Bals Fund" in the credit of any films, I think of it as a stamp of approval or a guarantee that the film being shown is highly likely to be a great film. I think I knew about Hubert Bals Fund the first time when I read about MYSTERIOUS OBJECT OF NOON (2000). So my first impression of this Fund is that this fund had to be great, or else it wouldn't have given some money to Apichatpong at that time. My first impression turns out to be right. Whoever is behind Hubert Bals Fund is truly intelligent and knows about the real potential of the filmmakers it supports. The films supported by this fund rarely disappoint me. Maybe my least favorite film supported by this fund is ABOUNA (2002, Mahamet-Saleh Haroun, Chad, B+), which is not a bad film at all.
I tried to make a list of my favorite films which are supported by Hubert Bals Fund, so I searched for the information about this Fund from the internet. There seems to be no complete database about this Fund. The information about this Fund at the website of the Rotterdam International Film Festival seems to include only films supported during the past five years, not during the past ten years as I hope. So I make the list below by using information from various websites, all of which I'm not sure are reliable or not. I apologize in advance if my list contains some mistakes.
http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/professionals/hubert_bals_fund.aspx
Apart from "Hubert Bals Fund", another logo/word which is like a stamp of approval or a guarantee of the greatness of the films being shown is "ZDF/ARTE". I think I have never been disappointed by any films supported by ZDF or ARTE. When I see the word ZDF or ARTE on the screen, I'm 90% sure that the film being shown will get A+ from me. This is different from the word PATHE or CANAL+. When I see the word PATHE or CANAL+ in the opening credit of a film, I'm not sure at all that the film being shown will get A+ from me.
The list of films supported by ZDF/ARTE:
http://www.inbaseline.com/company.aspx?company_id=2123482
Pathe's films:
http://www.pathe.co.uk/
THESE GREAT FILMS ARE SUPPORTED BY HUBERT BALS FUND. WHICH ONES DO YOU LIKE?
1.ALICE'S HOUSE (2007, Chico Teixeira, Brazil)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0984175/
2.AURORA (2009, Adolfo B. Alix, Jr., Philippines)
3.DIVINE INTERVENTION (2002, Elia Suleiman, Palestine)
4.DREAMS (2005, Mohamed Al Daradji, Iraq)
5.FEAST OF VILLAINS (2008, Pan Jianlin, China)
6.FORGIVENESS (2004, Ian Gabriel, South Africa)
7.FOTOGRAF (2001, Kazim Oz, Turkey)
8.4 (2005, Ilya Khrjanovsky, Russia)
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20060713/entry
9.JAPON (2002, Carlos Reygadas, Mexico)
10.INDEPENDENCIA (2009, Raya Martin, Philippines)
You can read Graiwoot's review of INDEPENDENCIA in Bioscope magazine, October 2009.
Acquarello's review:
http://filmref.com/journal/archives/2009/10/independencia_2009.html
Alexis Tioseco's review:
http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs39/spot_tioseco_alexis.html
11.INLAND (2008, Tariq Teguia, Algeria)
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20091001/bkiff-2009-diary-part-3
12.MAGIC GLOVES (2003, Martin Rejtman, Argentina)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4025723969_bdd6c3c952_b.jpg
13.MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON (2000, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand)
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20070525/entry
14.PLATFORM (2000, Jia Zhangke, China)
15.LA RABIA (2008, Albertina Carri, Argentina)
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20081104/wffbkk-2008-roughcut-part-2
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2749/4025721419_433848a5fb_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/4026471916_87dd67fde6_b.jpg
16.THE SKY, THE EARTH, AND THE RAIN (2008, Jose Luis Torres Leiva,
Chile)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135965/
http://ferdyonfilms.com/2008/10/2008-ciff-the-sky-the-earth-an.php
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/4025726865_f7712c42e8_b.jpg
17.SUMMER BOOK (2008, Seyfi Teoman, Turkey)
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20081104/wffbkk-2008-roughcut-part-2
18.THIRST (2003, Tawfik Abu Wael, Israel)
19.VIOLET PERFUME – NOBODY HEARS YOU (2000, Marysa Sistach, Mexico)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514Qe7GmtpL._SS500_.jpg
20.WONDERFUL TOWN (2008, Aditya Assarat, Thailand)
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20090225/rough-cut-wonderful-town-2008
You can select multiple answers.
--I exclude some films from the list because:
1.They are famous: CLIMATES, 4 MONTHS 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.
2.They were included in other polls of mine: HEREMIAS, A SHORT FILM ABOUT THE INDIO NACIONAL, DANCING BELL, LOVE CONQUERS ALL, FLOWER IN THE POCKET, BEFORE WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN, YEARS WHEN I WAS A CHILD OUTSIDE, BLIND PIG WHO WANTS TO FLY.
3.I like them, but not as much as the films in my poll: SILENCES OF THE PALACE (1994, Moufida Tlatli, Tunisia), BEIJING BASTARDS (1993, Zhang Yuan, China).
--This is the trailer of AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF EVERYTHING (2010, Paul Agusta, Indonesia), which is supported by Hubert Bals Fund. Thanks to Filmsick for telling us about this trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzH4i8eITU
--Are there any other studios, production houses, or film funds which you love?
--If you are a billionaire, which filmmakers would you like to give money to? Or what kind of films would you like to produce? I'd like to give money to:
1. A horror film which is ten-hour long and inspired partly by Wes Craven, Greg McLean, Permpol Choei-aroon, and Lav Diaz.
2. A ten-hour long film directed by Sasithorn Ariyavicha
3.A ten-hour long film directed by Fred Kelemen
4.A ten-hour long film about the history of Thailand, directed by Prap Boonpan
5.A film loosely inspired by the Thai novel PLOENG PAI, written by Nuntana Weerachon. The story is about a woman who kills many people. I wish this film should have
5.1 The raw feeling of BAISE-MOI
5.2 The dark feeling of IN MY SKIN
5.3 The hurt feeling of CRY IN SILENCE
5.4 The visual of SOMBRE
5.5 The sadness of BREMEN FREEDOM
4 comments:
Films supported by Hubert Bals Fund include MOON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL (Nguyen Vinh Son, Vietnam), ER DONG (Yang Jin, China), and AGRARIAN UTOPIA, but I haven't seen them yet.
My own votes include DIVINE INTERVENTION, FEAST OF VILLAINS, FOTOGRAF, 4, MAGIC GLOVES, MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON, LA RABIA, THE SKY THE EARTH AND THE RAIN, and VIOLET PERFUME – NOBODY HEARS YOU.
i voted almost every film i've seen because i love most of them a lot especially the greatest experience in last year with SUMMER BOOK and THE SKY, THE EARTH AND THE RAIN
i write about THE SKY THE EARTH AND THE RAIN in thai here
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20081029/wfbkk-2008-roughcut-part1
Ha Ha, agreed with CelineJulie completely about Hubert Bals, ZDF, Arte. Sharunas Bartas and some rare Agnes Varda's shorts only available there on Arte channel.
I saw an Apichatpong's interview on German Arte TV when I stayed with Nat in Berlin some years back. At the time Nat told me that Apichatpong's films were largely unknown in Deutschland.
Very doubtful about Pusan, Pathe and the other one you mentioned.
Regretfully my new FILMVIRUS book (the last one born out of wedlock) about foreign film funds is being delayed. It was supposed to be available at the book fair this month. I hope it is not being shelved forever.
I wish I can watch Arte channel, and I hope the new FILMVIRUS book gets published soon.
Another film company I love is WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS. It produces COUNTRY TEACHER, LET'S DANCE, A CHRISTMAS TALE, 4 MONTHS 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, MY SON, LE PETIT LIEUTENANT, DIEU SEUL ME VOIT, and THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED.
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