The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant 2008 for €15,000 was presented on January 30th during the CineMart Closing Night Party in Rotterdam to Malaysian film director Liew Seng Tat for his film project In What City Does It Live?
The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant is awarded to a filmmaker to support the first creative phase of the development of a film production. The grant is presented during CineMart, the market that brings together funders and filmmakers, at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam. Each year, The Prince Claus Fund’s international jury of professionals from different fields of the film industry selects a CineMart project made by a filmmaker from Africa, Asia, LatinAmerica or the Caribbean. The selection criteria emphasize innovative qualities and an excellent concept.
Liew Seng Tat is a promising young filmmaker from the latest generation of Malaysian directors. He was born on September 20, 1979, in a rather notorious area of Kuala Lumpur called Jinjang. In a recent web interview he said, "Many people laugh when I tell them that I am from Jinjang because they associate it with everything negative. To them it's full of uncivilised, bad people with bad taste. But look at me, I turned out okay." He is known for his dark comedy - hilarious, ridiculous, absurd and yet touching. His first short film "Bread Skin with Strawberry Jam" was very well received, followed by other short films that won awards, such as "Not Cool" and "Flower". And during the Film Festival Rotterdam 2008, in addition to the Prince Claus Fund Film Grant, he was awarded a VPRO Tiger Award for his first feature length film “Flower in the Pocket.”
Liew Seng Tat’s current project “In What City Does It Live?” is being produced by Dahuang Pictures (Malaysia) with support from the Hubert Bals Foundation in Rotterdam. They are hoping to raise €400.000 to complete the film.
“In What City Does It Live?” tells the story of a Nigerian migrant who hides in an abandoned wooden house in a small Malaysian village. The villagers believe the house is haunted by a strange ghost, underlining the shadowy existence of illegal migrants.
The jury found the film’s approach “modern, subtle and engaged” and was particularly impressed by the story’s visual power. “Through a simple but universal story that appeals to the imagination, this film subtly discusses the social issues of the multicultural society...(and) the field of tension that exists between tradition, globalisation and migration.”
The Jury of the 2008 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant consisted of:
Karim Traïdia, Chair, filmmaker and member of the Board of the Prince Claus Fund (Algeria/ the Netherlands)
Rene Mioch, film expert and producer (the Netherlands)
Susanna Harutyunyan, Artistic Director of the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival (Armenia)
Garin Nugroho, filmmaker (Indonesia)
Simon Field, producer and former director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (the United Kingdom)
Liew Seng Tat - filmmaker and actor,
Da Huang , Bricksfield KL, 16 January 2007
Liew Seng Tat was also awarded a 2008 VPRO Tiger Award for his feature film Flower in the Pocket
The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant is awarded to support the first creative phase
of the development of a film production.CineMart is the co-production market of the
International Film Festival Rotterdam.An international jury of professionals covering
different fields of the film industry will select a CineMart project by a filmmaker from
Africa,Asia, LatinAmerica or the Caribbean.This project will be chosen for its innovative
qualities and excellent concept.
Apart from its annual Prince Claus Fund Film Grant, the Fund does not provide financial
support for feature or ocumentary film productions.
Read an interview with Liew Seng Tat
on www.sgfilm.com
Film Festival Rotterdam
www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com
More about Liew Seng Tat
http://tontonfilem.blogspot.com
