Göteborg Film Festival

Today during the Swedish Film Institute / Film i Väst press meeting at the Scandinavian terrace, in Cannes, Fund Manager Camilla Larsson and Artistic Director of Göteborg Film Festival, Jonas Holmberg, announced the first selection of post-production projects – three films, one respectively from Brazil, Ukraine and Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq. At the same time Göteborg Film Fund 2021 opened submission for Innovative distribution support.

In the beginning of May Göteborg Film Festival initiated Göteborg Film Fund 2021 – a one-year project, supported by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as a part of the Swedish governments ”drive for” democracy. The fund targets four different regions: Brazil, Sudan, Ukraine and Kurdish Cinema in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. When submission for the first to support schemes – development and post-production – closed in mid-June, over 1000 applications were counted.

– This was more than four times than what we even dared to expect. Just the thought that over 600 development and 140 post-production applications arrived from Brazil is overwhelming and says something about the current situation, says Camilla Larsson, Fund Manager, Göteborg Film Fund.

– We are so proud of, and excited over, these first three selected projects, each one of them very specific for their region and in their expression, but also very universal in their stories. We start off with fiction, but next selection of post-production projects will definitely contain artistic documentaries as well!

The selected films, receiving SEK 350 000 each are: La Palisiada, by Philip Sotnychenko, Ukraine; Rule 34 (Regra 34), by Julia Murat, Brazil; The Rain Bride (Bûka Baranê), by Hussein Hassan. KRG-Iraq (more info on the films below).

Today, July 10, the third support scheme, Innovative distribution support, will open for submission, until August 10. The announcement of the selection for development support will take place in September, as will the second selection of post-production support projects.