FUNDING FILM FROM
D EVELOPING COUNTRIES
SØRFOND – THE NORWEGIAN
SOUTH FILM FUND
Film is one of today’s most important cultural expressions. Film, as an art form and as
cultural expression, combines in a unique way other art forms such as music, drama and
moving images. Movies are, at one and the same time, entertainment, an independent artistic expression, and a medium reflecting both our past and our future. Film is also about
identity, community, freedom of expression and sense of belonging.
The Norwegian Film Institute and the Films from the South Foundation have recognised
that it is difficult for filmmakers in developing countries to realise film projects that are
locally based, despite the great demand for such productions. Filmmakers in developing
countries have the need for both production capital and international professional networks. It is in that spirit that SØRFOND was created.
SØRFOND IN BRIEF
Production support
Top financing
Projects from developing countries
Norwegian co-producer required
Fiction or documentaries
Minimum 50 min. running time
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FUNDING BY THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT
NOK 11,6 million (approximately € 1,4 million) has been granted for support from 2012 to
2015 and NOK 10,4 million (approximately € 1,25 million) will be granted for production
support from 2016 - 2018 through an inter-departmental cooperation between The Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Norwegian Ministry of Culture. The Norwegian Film
Institute and the Films from the South Foundation will jointly be in charge of the administration of the fund.
OVERALL OBJECTIVE
The grant shall contribute to strengthen film as a cultural expression, to prome diversity
and artistic integrity on the international film scene, and to strengthen freedom of expression. The grant shall also contribute to an increased cooperation between Norwegian and
international film industries. The purpose of SØRFOND grants is to stimulate the production of films in developing countries where such production is limited by political or
economic causes.
PROJECTS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
SØRFOND applies to grants for the production of films with a main producer based in a
country on the OECD’s current list of countries and territories eligible to receive assistance
(DAC-list). In addition, the director must have citizenship from, or be resident in, a country
of the DAC-list. The film must, for the most part, be shot in a country of the DAC-list. In
exceptional cases, derogations may be made regarding the establishment of the main producer in a country of the DAC-list, if, due to political reasons, the film cannot be produced
in such a country.
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ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES
EUROPE
Albania, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegowina,
Former Yugoslav Rep. Of Macedonia,
Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia,
Ukraine
LATIN-AMERICA
Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Belize,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba,
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia,
St. Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Uruguay,
Venezuela
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ASIA
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India,
Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea
Dem. Rep., Kyrgyz Rep., Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan,
West Bank and Gaza Strip, Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen
AFRICA
Angola, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burundi,
Burkina Faso, Cameron, Cape Verde,
Central African Rep., Chad, Comoros, Congo Rep.,
Congo Dem. Rep., Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt,
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia,
Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho,
Liberia, Libya, Madagaskar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger,
Nigeria, Rwanda, St. Helena, São Tomé & Príncipe,
Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leona, Somalia,
South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
OCEANIA
Oceania, Cook Islands, Fidji, Kiribati, Marshall
Islands, Micronesia, Federated States, Nauru,
Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu,
Wallis & Futuna
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PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS
AND SELECTION PROCESS
NORWEGIAN CO-PRODUCER REQUIRED
The Norwegian co-producer must be a private and independent production company (Ltd)
established in Norway that is not predominantly publicly owned, nor substantially related
to a broadcasting organisation. The application for production support must be sent by the
Norwegian co-producer. A list of Norwegian producers can be found at www.sorfond.com.
The SØRFOND Pitching Forum in Oslo in October is a recommended place for meeting
the co-producers.
FICTION OR DOCUMENTARIES, MINIMUM 50 MIN.
RUNNING TIME
SØRFOND supports fiction film or documentary with a minimum running time of 50
minutes, produced for screening in cinemas, on television, or on other audiovisual media
platforms.
TOP FINANCING
At least 50 % of the budget must already be confirmed at the time of submitting the
application.
MAXIMUM SUPPORT NOK 1 MILLION
The grant shall not exceed NOK 1 million (approximately € 130 000). Up to 10 % of the
grant amount may be retained by the minority production company in order to cover its
administrative costs.
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ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION
The assessment and selection of the applications shall be based on an overall assessment
of artistic, production-related, economical and technical aspects of the project. Particular emphasis is placed on the purpose of SØRFOND and the project’s cultural identity,
including the use of local languages and local shooting locations. Emphasis is also placed
on the director’s and the producers’ experience, as well as the representation of women in
key positions.
A panel consisting of three to five members appointed by the Norwegian Film Institute
processes the applications and nominates candidates to the Norwegian Film Institute,
which holds the decision-making power. At least one member from a DAC-listed country
shall be represented in the panel.
HOW TO APPLY FOR SØRFOND
SØRFOND has one deadline a year.
The online application form, detailed guidelines and dac-list are available at
www.sorfond.com.
The Norwegian minority producer is responsible for sending the application.
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SUPPORTED PROJECTS 2015
CEMETERY LIFE
LUXEMBOURG
Director/script: Barbara Politsch
Country: Philippines
Main producer: Southern Lantern Studios
Norwegian co-prod: Merkur Filmproduksjon AS /
by Petter Vennerød
Amount of support: NOK 400.000 / EUR 47 300
Director/script: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
Country: Ukraine
Main producer: Garmata Film
Norwegian co-prod: DUOfilm AS / by Linda Bolstad
og Marie Fuglestein
Amount of support: NOK 500 000 / EUR 59 200
LA FAMILIA
SAMUI SONG
Director/script: Gustavo Rondón
Country: Venezuela
Main producer: La Pandilla Producciones
Norwegian co-prod: Dag Hoel Filmproduksjon AS /
by Dag Hoel
Amount of support: NOK 400 000/ EUR 47 300
Director/script: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Country: Thailand
Main producer: Bluering Company Limited
Norwegian co-prod: Tenk.tv / by Frode Søbstad
Amount of support: NOK 400 000/ EUR 47 300
SELLING HUMANS
THE UNTAMED
Director/script: Pankaj Johar
Country: India
Main producer: Pennywise Films PVT LTD
Norwegian co-prod: Lightsource Film Productions AS /
by Arne Dahr
Amount of support: NOK 300 000 / EUR 35 500
Director: Amat Escalante
Script: Amat Escalante and Gibran Portela
Country: Mexico
Main producer: Mantarraya Producciones SA de CV
Norwegian co-prod: MER Film AS /
by Maria Ekerhovd
Amount of support: NOK 500 000 / EUR 59 200
I HATE MY LIFE
Director/script: Kaouther Ben Hania
Country: Tunisia
Main producer: Cinetelefilms
Norwegian co-prod: Integralfilm AS/
by Jørgen and Nefise Özkal Lorentzen
Amount of support: NOK 500 000 / EUR 59 200
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SUPPORTED PROJECTS 2014
CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR
LAMB
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Script: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Country: Thailand
Main producer: Kick the Machine
Norwegian co-prod: Tordenfilm /
Eric Vogel, Ingunn Sundelin
Amount of support: NOK 400 000 (EUR 50,000)
Director: Yared Zeleke
Script: Yared Zeleke
Country: Etiophia
Main producer: Slum Kid Films
Norwegian co-prod: Film Farms / Alan R. Milligan
Amount of support: NOK 450 000 (EUR 56,000)
GITI – PARADISE IN HELL
BLACK SUNSHINE
Director: Niyongabo Yves Montand
Script: Niyongabo Yves Montand
Country: Rwanda
Main producer: Almond Tree Films Rwanda ltd
Norwegian co-prod: Barentsfilm as /
Ingrid Lill Høgtun
Amount of support: NOK 300 000 (EUR 37,000)
Director: Akosua Adoma Owusu
Script: Akosua Adoma Owusu
Country: Ghana/Mexico
Main producer: Piano / Julio Chavazmontes, Mexico
Norwegian co-prod: Barentsfilm AS / Ingrid Lill
Høgtun
Amount of support: NOK 425 000 (EUR 53,000)
MURDER IN PACOT
Director: Raoul Peck
Script: Lyonel Trouillot, Pascal Bonitzer and
Raoul Peck
Country: Haiti
Main producer: Velvet Film
Norwegian co-prod: Ape&Bjørn / Ruben Thorkildsen
Amount of support: NOK 425 000 (EUR 53,000)
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SUPPORTED PROJECTS 2012 - 2013
LOS HEREDEROS (THE HEIRS)
(FEATURE)
CHAR – THE ISLAND WITHIN
(DOCUMENTARY)
Director: Jorge Hernandez Aldana, Mexico
Norwegian co-producer: Tordenfilm / Eric Vogel
The project received NOK 850.000 in grants
(EUR 105.500)
Director: Sourav Sarang, India
Norwegian co-producer: Cinema Oslo v/Jon Jerstad
The project received NOK 200,000 in grants
(around EUR 26,500)
FLAPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF
NOWHERE (FEATURE)
DESHORA (FEATURE)
Director: Diep Nguyen Hoang, Vietnam
Norwegian co-producer: Film Farms / Alan R.Milligan
The project received NOK 850.000 in grants
(EUR 105.500)
ALGIERS BY NIGHT (FEATURE)
Director: Yanis Koussim, Algerie
Norwegian co-producer: Pomor Film As /
Knut Skoglund
The project received NOK 450.000 in grants
(EUR 60.000)
A MAID FOR EACH (DOCUMENTARY)
Director: Maher Abi Samra, Lebanon
Norwegian co-producer: Medieoperatørene TV /
Ida Ven Bruusgaard
The project received NOK 450.000 in grants
(EUR 60.000)
THE PAST WILL RETURN
(DOCUMENTARY)
Director: Dina Hamza, Egypt
Norwegian co-producer: Medieoperatørene TV/
Ida Ven Bruusgaard
The project received NOK 250.000 in grants
(EUR 33.000)
THE CHOSEN ONES (DOCUMENTARY)
Director: Arman Yeritsyan, Armenia
Norwegian co-producer: tenk.tv / Frode Søbstad
The project received NOK 150.000 in grants
(EUR 20.000)
CHAR – THE ISLAND WITHIN
(DOCUMENTARY)
Director: Sourav Sarang, India
Norwegian co-producer: Cinema Oslo v/Jon Jerstad
The project received NOK 200,000 in grants
(around EUR 26,500)
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Director: Barbara Sarasola-Day, Argentina
Norwegian co-producer: Faction Film v/Dag Hoel
The project received NOK 679,000 in grants
(around EUR 90,000)
KANDIRE – LAND WITHOUT EVIL (FEATURE)
Director: Juan Carlos Valdivia, Bolivia
Norwegian co-producer: PJB Picture Company v/
Petter Borgli
The project received NOK 750,000 in grants
(around EUR 100,000)
DUKHTAR (FEATURE)
Director: Afia Nathaniel, Pakistan
Norwegian co-producer: Indie Film
v/Carsten Aanonsen
The project received NOK 750,000 in grants
(around EUR 100,000)
PALESTINE STEREO (FEATURE)
Director: Rashid Masharawi, Palestine
Norwegian co-producer: Ape&Bjørn
v/Silja Espolin Johnson and Ruben Thorkildsen
The project received NOK 750,000 in grants
(around EUR 100,000)
WAKOLDA (FEATURE)
Director: Lucía Puenzo, Argentina
Norwegian co-producer: Hummelfilm
v/Gudny Hummelvoll
The project received NOK 750,000 in grants
(around EUR 100,000)
WHEN HARRI GOT MARRIED
(DOCUMENTARY)
Director: Ritu Sarin, India
Norwegian co-producer: Cinema Oslo v/Jon Jerstad
The project received NOK 121,000 in grants
(around EUR 16,000)
SØRFOND PITCHING FORUM
OCTOBER 12 TH - 14 TH 2015
Photos: Johnny Vaet Nordskog
THE PURPOSE OF THE SØRFOND PITCHING FORUM
The Films From the South Foundation organises the SØRFOND Pitching Forum in
connection with the annual Films from the South festival in October in Oslo, Norway.
The purpose of the SØRFOND Pitching Forum is to give potential main producers the opportunity to present their projects to potential Norwegian minority producers, in order to
enter into a co-production agreement and apply for support from SØRFOND.
APPLICATIONS
The main producer may apply to participate in the SØRFOND Pitching Forum through
the application form at www.sorfond.com. A travel grant is provided to the forum’s
participants.
Deadline for applications for the Pitching Forum: August 15th
Application form at www.sorfond.com
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For more information about SØRFOND:
Visit www.sorfond.com
For specific questions related to the Pitching Forum:
[email protected]
For specific questions related to the applications
for production support:
[email protected]
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