Lasya by Anup Singh (Tanzania/India) has been allocated the Prince Claus Fund Film Grant of €15,000 for a 2006 CineMart project.
The Jury has opted unanimously for what was clearly one of the strongest ideas amongst the 2006 CineMart selection. This powerful, poetic and human project portrays the story of a young woman who - despite collective and personal tragedies - finds the strength and desire to pursue her hopes for a better life. Set against the backdrop of a city that is in a state of constant flux, construction work and economic growth, the film represents the will to survive of the people who inhabit these urban spaces: their sense of hope, personal growth, reconciliation and, above all, their humanity. To quote the director Anup Singh, this film tells the story of the ‘Eternal Struggle: of nature and humanity, the big city and the individual, and humanity against itself.’
The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant is annually awarded in cooperation with CineMart to support the very first creative phase of the development of a film production. Every year, the Film Grant is presented to a CineMart project by a filmmaker from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean, and selected for its excellent concept and innovative quality by an international expert jury.
The 2006 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant was presented on 1 February during the CineMart Closing Night Party in Rotterdam.
The Jury of the 2006 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant consisted of:
Ido Abram (the Netherlands), director of the Binger Film Institute.
Shanty Harmayn (Indonesia), film producer and recipient of the 2002 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant.
Ronald Ockhuysen (the Netherlands), film critic for De Volkskrant newspaper and the VPRO broadcasting company.
Peter Rorvik (South Africa), director of the Durban International Film Festival.
Karim Traïdia (the Netherlands/Algeria), filmmaker, member of the Board of the Prince Claus Fund, and chairman of the Jury for the 2006 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant.
