Four Sørfond-supported projects premiering at the Berlinale

Sørfond-supported films have a very strong presence at this year’s Berlinale. Shambhala from Nepal, directed by Min Bahadur Bham is competing for the Golden Bear. Also competing for the Golden Bear is the Tunisian drama Who Do I Belong To, directed by Meryam Joobeur. Pham Ngoc Lan-directed Ci Lu Never Cries from Vietnam premieres in the Panorama section. Mozambican The Nighst Still Smell of Gunpowder directed by Inadelso Cossa will premiere in the Forum section. 

In addition to the films premiering at the Berlinale, Indian Girls Will Be Girls , directed by Shuchi Talati, recently premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival to great reviews. The film is co-produced with Gudny Hummelvoll for Hummelfilm AS. The film will also be screened at the Gothenburg Film Festival.

What Sørfond is

Sørfond was established to support film production in countries where filmmaking is limited due to political, social, or economic reasons. Qualified countries are determined by the DAC list, which is the Development Committee of the OECD's list of countries eligible to receive aid.

"It's common to have a Sørfond-supported film at the biggest and most important festivals around the world, but having four Sørfond films in the main programs at the Berlinale is unique," says Dag Asbjørnsen, head of the international section at the Norwegian Film Institute.

Since its inception, Sørfond has been jointly operated by the Oslo Festival Agency and the Norwegian Film Institute, with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway.

The grants from the fund are so-called "Soft money", meaning there is no requirement for them to be used in the donor country Norway, but can be used as needed funds to realize the film in the home country.

About the Films

Who Do I Belong To by Meryam Joobeur from Tunisia is co-produced with Dyveke Graver and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar for Eye Eye Pictures in collaboration with main producer Instinct Bleu Sarl, and has received 450.000 NOK from Sørfond. The project was formerly titled Motherhood. The film will be screened in the main competition in Berlin and in competition for the Golden Bear.

Shambhala by Min Bahadur Bham from Nepal is co-produced with Verona Meier for Ape&Bjørn in collaboration with main producer Shooney Films, and has received 515.000 NOK from Sørfond. The project was formerly titled A Year of Cold. The film will be screened in the main competition in Berlin and in competition for the Golden Bear.

Cu Li Never Cries by Pham Ngoc Lan from Vietnam is co-produced with Verona Meier for Ape&Bjørn in collaboration with main producer An Nam Films, and has received 500.000 NOK from Sørfond. The film will be screened in the Panorama section alongside 30 other titles. The film will premiere on February 20th. 

The documentary The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder by Inadelso Cossa from Mozambique is co-produced with Elisa Fernanda Pirir for Stær AS in collaboration with the main producer 16MM Filmes, and has received 300.000 NOK from Sørfond. The film will be screened in the Forum section.