The Global Film Initiative announced today that seven filmmakers have been awarded completion funding for their film projects during the Initiative's Fall granting-cycle. "This Fall's grant-recipients represent a diverse spectrum of global filmmaking," says Santhosh Daniel, Director of Programs. "We're very impressed by the high quality of projects, and the cultural breadth they represent."
The 7 projects were selected from a group of 44 applications, from 26 different countries, for their artistic excellence, accomplished storytelling, and cultural perspective on daily life around the world. Funds received from grants are used to subsidize post-production costs, such as laboratory and sound mixing fees, and access to advanced editing systems.
Since its founding in 2002, the Initiative has awarded more than 50 grants to emerging and established filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
The Fall 2007 grant recipients are:
100% Alive, Ahmed Rashwan (Egypt)—Just before the start of the Second Gulf War, a recently divorced photographer meets a seductive young woman and contemplates a second chance at love.
Bibi, Hassan Yektapanah (Iran)—An elderly Iraqi refugee living in Iran desperately seeks an ID card that neither country will issue, to avoid being buried in an unmarked grave when she dies.
Crab Trap, Oscar Ruiz Navia (Colombia)—A man arrives at an isolated, coastal village and is caught in a struggle between a local Afro-Colombian community and a white landowner's vision for modernization.
Europe By Road, Ubaka Joseph Ugochukwu (Nigeria/Senegal)—On his way to Europe, a young Nigerian becomes stranded in Senegal, surrounded by temptation and illegal activity that threaten both his ambitions and livelihood.
Goodbye Kathmandu, Nabin Subba (Nepal)—The parallel lives of three young individuals of different ethnic backgrounds are profiled amidst the tumultuous political and social atmosphere of contemporary Kathmandu.
Veronica's Passion, Cristian Pellegrini (Argentina)—A transsexual with aspirations of studying at the local university faces prejudice against her nonconforming identity, and her goal to become a psychologist.
Virgin Goat, Murali Nair (India)—In this intelligent satire, a farmer's simple desire to have his goat mated is thwarted by family trauma, local bureaucracy and a marauding mob.
The Evening Class congratulates the recipients! Cross-published on Twitch.
