Berlinale 2010
World Cinema Fund to Support Seven New Projects
At the 10th session of the World Cinema Fund (WCF) jury on June 26 and 27, five new film projects were selected for production funding; and two films, for distribution funding
Since its establishment in October 2004, the WCF has awarded production and distribution funding to a total of 63 projects chosen from 1035 submissions from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Central and South East Asia, and the Caucasus.
All of the WCF films completed so far have screened in cinemas and/or in the programmes of renowned international film festivals - proof of the international success of the initiative. Most recent examples include the winner of the Berlinale La teta asustada (The Milk of Sorrow) and the four WCF-funded entries screened in Cannes this year: The Wind Journeys by Ciro Guerra, Independencia by Raya Martin, Ajami by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, as well as Huacho by Alejandro Almendras Fernandez.
The WCF is also pleased that the board of the German Federal Cultural Foundation under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann agreed at its last meeting to extend its financing of the WCF until the end of 2011. (See press release from 15 June 2009).
