The HBF was established in 1988 by the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) to support filmmakers from regions with limited production infrastructure.
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
Three African co-productions from Nigeria, Morocco and Ethiopia have been selected among eight projects to receive €60,000 each under the HBF+Europe programme of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
The beneficiaries were announced on March 17, 2026, as part of the Hubert Bals Fund, which supports filmmakers from developing regions. The selected projects fall under two categories: Minority Co-production Support, which features five projects, and Post-production Support, which includes three.
Among the African selections in the Minority Co-production Support category is Don’t Let the Sun Go Up On Me, a hybrid documentary by Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir. The project, co-produced with partners from France, Norway, Denmark and Chile, builds on the director’s growing international recognition following her debut, The Mother of All Lies, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival after winning the Directing Prize in the Un Certain Regard section, as well as the Golden Eye for Best Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.
Also selected in the same category is The Last Tears of the Deceased, directed by Ethiopian filmmaker Beza Hailu Lemma, co-founder of Videobet Cinema, with production supported by Canada, Germany and France. The film follows a newly ordained priest on a surreal journey across Ethiopia as he investigates the truth surrounding his childhood death, an odyssey that threatens to unravel his faith.
The project previously gained attention at Cannes 2025, where it received the Next Step Prize from La Semaine de la Critique, adding to Lemma’s growing profile after his short film Alazar screened at Cannes Critics’ Week and earned accolades at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) and the Red Sea International Film Festival.
In the Post-production Support category, Nigerian filmmaker Damilola Orimogunje secured €60,000 for his project Dear Ajayi, co-produced with Germany. The film is the only African project selected in this category. Orimogunje’s selection follows the success of his debut feature, For Maria Ebun Pataki, which premiered at Film Africa 2020, as well as his production work on All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, directed by Babatunde Apalowo, which screened at the Berlin International Film Festival 2023.
The Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) was established in 1988 by the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) to support filmmakers from regions with limited production infrastructure. Named after the festival’s late founder, Hubert “Huub” Bals, the fund has backed more than a thousand projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Its structure considers three major initiatives, each targeting a specific phase of filmmaking: Developmental Support for early-stage filmmaking; Production & Post-production Support for films already in production or nearing completion; and HBF+ Europe (Co-production Support) for collaborations involving European producers.
Reacting to the latest selections, Tamara Tatishvili, Head of the Hubert Bals Fund, acknowledged the growing influence of major festivals such as IFFR and the Berlinale in shaping the HBF+Europe programme. She referenced past recipients with recent success, including Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar’s Variations on a Theme, which won the Tiger Award at IFFR 2026, and Danielle Arbid’s Only Rebels Win, which opened the Berlinale’s Panorama section.
“These results reflect exactly what targeted co-funding supported by Creative Europe can achieve”, Tatishvili said, adding that the fund remains committed to supporting filmmakers in low-production capacity regions while continuing to back both emerging voices and established talents.