Sørfond awards grants

Norway supports global diversity in film

Photo: Akash Basumatari / Norwegian Film Institute
The documentary Farming the Revolution takes a close look at the Indian government’s unjust farm laws.

NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE
Oslo

For 2022, Sørfond announced that it has granted NOK 3 million in support for six international co-productions with Norwegian minority producers. The funding will go to projects from Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Morocco, and two projects from India.

Sørfond is administered by the Norwegian Film Institute in cooperation with the Films from the South Festival (Oslo Festival Agency), with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sørfond’s overall objective is to strengthen film production in countries where film production is limited for political or economic reasons.

Sørfond aims to help reinforce film as a cultural expression, promote diversity and artistic integrity, and strengthen freedom of speech. During the last 10 years, the fund has supported 72 projects.

This year, the fund received 45 applications, and the jury selected six projects to receive support: one documentary and five fiction projects. The total amount of support is NOK 3 million, which is about $302,000.

This year’s Sørfond jury members were Film Commissioner at the Danish Film Institute Silje Riise Næss; Director of Sarajevo Film Festival Jovan Marjanović (Bosnia-Hercegovina); and Project Manager Per Eirik Gilsvik of Films from the South Festival (Oslo Festival Agency).

Jury statement 2022

We had the honorable and exciting task of reading and evaluating the projects for this year’s round of grants from Sørfond. It has been a privilege and a joy to take part in a fascinating journey around the world, introducing us to new stories, perspectives, and visions from talented newcomers, as well as more established names of contemporary cinema.

One of the six directors will be making her first feature with the help of Sørfond, and two others their second. There was also room for a seasoned and acclaimed documentary filmmaker, and we hope to see even more documentary projects applying in the future.

There is a great geographic spread to the projects selected: from Colombia to Morocco and India, all the way to Kazakhstan and Bhutan. This is the first time Sørfond has granted support to the two latter countries.

The jury was greatly impressed by the level of the applicants and applications alike, reflecting the array of urgent stories and perspectives that deserves and demands attention on the silver screen. We are happy to be able to assist these filmmakers in pursuing their visions, and with a grant from Sørfond, we hope to contribute to these stories reaching a wide audience.

In the end, choosing from so many extraordinary projects was a difficult task. The quality of the projects greatly exceeds the funds, and we hope Sørfond will be able to continue to strengthen its important work for a more inclusive and diverse global film industry.

Supported projects (film, country):

Where the River Begins — Donde Comienza El Rio, Columbia

Bikechess, Kazakhstan

I, the Song, Bhutan

Touda, Morocco

Farming the Revolution, India

Girls Will Be Girls, India

Learn more at nfi.no/eng/news/2022/sorfond-grants-for-2022-announced.

This article originally appeared in the July 29, 2022, issue of The Norwegian American.