As part of its strategy for promoting Arab cinema and supporting filmmakers, Arab Cinema Center (ACC) collaborated with IFFR Pro for the seventh year, through a presentation entitled “Meet IFFR Pro & Hubert Bals Fund”. The presentation aims at guiding the filmmakers on how to participate in one of the world’s most significant institutes and funds, which is dedicated to supporting outstanding talents in the various phases of the filmmaking.
The virtual presentation was held via Zoom, on Monday, at 9:00 a.m. (GMT), 11:00 a.m. (Egypt & Rotterdam Time), 12:00 p.m. (KSA), and 1:00 p.m. (UAE).
The presentation witnessed the presence of Alessia Acone, Manager of IFFR Pro, Bianca Taal, Head of Hubert Bals Fund, and Alaa Karkouti, Co-founder of Arab Cinema Center. It was one-hour long and a Q&A with the audience who ran across it.
Since 2016, Arab Cinema Center (ACC) has been opening calls for submissions by Arab film producers at the Rotterdam Lab, held as part of IFFR Pro activities. Through the past years, the ACC sent 13 Arab producers, from 7 countries, to the Lab, including: Rami Alyan, Aya Al Balushi, Elie Kamal, Dina Harb, Amir El-Shenawy, Khadija Kudsi, Karim Rahbani, Mohammed Alhamoud, Rand Beirruty, Mohammed Alomda, Bakr Alduhaim, Sawsan Yusuf, and Rasha Hosny.
IFFR prides itself on distinct support for boundary-pushing independent cinema, not only in the festival programme, but through a range of IFFR Pro industry activities which offer year-round support to film professionals. This includes the co-production market CineMart, financial support for filmmakers through the Hubert Bals Fund, and training for emerging producers in the Rotterdam Lab.
The Hubert Bals Fund is a curatorial fund dedicated to supporting filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe in every stage of the filmmaking process – from script development to post-production. Over more than 30 years, the fund has developed a distinguished taste for filmmakers with a forward-looking artistic vision.
Organized by MAD Solutions in 2015, Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others. ACC's activities vary between film markets, stands, and pavilions, networking sessions and one-on-one meetings bringing together Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals, and the issuance of Arab Cinema Magazine to be distributed at the leading international film festivals and markets.
Furthermore, a newsletter subscription is now available on ACC's website, allowing users to obtain digital copies of Arab Cinema Magazine, as well as news on ACC's activities, notifications of application dates for grants, festivals and offers from educational and training institutions, updates on Arab films participating at festivals, exclusive news on the Arab Cinema LAB, and highlights from ACC's partners and their future projects.
ACC also launched an English-language Arab Cinema Guide, available on its website, which is a comprehensive cinematic guide that provides a variety of tools presented collectively for the first time to offer information on Arab cinema to filmmakers inside and outside the Arab world. It also aims to facilitate filmmakers' access to international markets and help film industry representatives easily identify Arab film productions.
