Rotterdam Industry Heads Talk Backing Displaced Filmmakers When ‘World Is on Fire,’ Renewed Focus on U.S. Indies, Shrinking European Funds

As political conflicts grow around the world, major film festivals have rallied around displaced filmmakers. Amidst this movement, the Rotterdam Film Festival stands out as a particularly safe place for such creatives, given the festival’s foundational mission of platforming voices at risk. But how can industry-focused platforms and markets tap into that mission? That’s a key question for Head of IFFR Pro Marten Rabarts and Head of the Hubert Bals Fund, Tamara Tatishvili, as the duo gears up for another edition of the Dutch festival.

Displacement has further strengthened the relationship between the market and the fund, resulting in key initiatives delivered and managed within both. Hbf has supported the Cate Blanchett-spearheaded Displacement Film Fund, which has just premiered its first batch of short films, including a new work by “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” director Mohammad Rasoulof. Launched last year, the fund will now move…