Practical info and deadlines

Plan your application to one of the Hubert Bals Fund support schemes.

Funding schemes

The HBF offers several funding schemes: early on for development, or later on for production and post-production. Filmmakers with a project in early development can apply for Development Support.

With the support of the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme of the European Union, minority co-production support is offered to European producers within the framework of HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support and HBF+Europe: Post-production Support.

Dutch producers can apply for co-production funding through the NFF+HBF Co-production Scheme, a collaboration with the Netherlands Film Fund. An overview of the latest selections can be found on the About HBF page. 

At IFFR 2025, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett announced the Displacement Film Fund together with the Hubert Bals Fund: a pilot short film funding scheme scheme that will champion and fund the work of displaced filmmakers, or filmmakers with a proven track record in creating authentic storytelling on the experiences of displaced people. In its pilot phase, there will not be an open call for the scheme.

CineMart x HBF

The upcoming edition of IFFR’s co-production market CineMart will mark the launch of a new strand within the official lineup, spotlighting projects previously supported by the Hubert Bals Fund.

As part of our continuous support for the evolution of projects with HBF funding in place, this initiative aims to create stronger synergies between IFFR’s funding and market activities, extending the festival’s backing for our supported talents.

Deadlines

• Development Support: 13 March 2025
• NFF+HBF Co-production Funding: 17 March 2025 and 6 October 2025 
• HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support: to be announced
• HBF+Europe: Post-production Support: to be announced

Update 2 September: Deadlines for upcoming calls (including HBF+Europe) haven’t been set yet. Once they’re confirmed, we’ll share them here on the website, so this page will always have the latest information. Thanks for checking back here for updates!

Late submissions are not taken into consideration. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found on our FAQ page. Applications for NFF+HBF should be made through the Netherlands Film Fund. 

Geographical Focus

The HBF provides support to talented filmmakers from countries as specified in the HBF list of eligible countries. This list includes countries from Latin-America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, and is roughly based on the DAC-list of the OECD and the lowest ranking countries on the World Free Press Index.

The HBF also provides support to feature films by filmmakers who are originally from a country on the HBF list of eligible countries but are currently living in diaspora (e.g. dual nationality, refugee status, or residency permit) in a non-eligible country. Please note priority is given to films that are majority shot in an eligible country.

Distribution

The HBF asks for a few things in return for its support, after a supported film is finished. Firstly the World, International, or Benelux premiere of the film should take place at International Film Festival Rotterdam, and no screening fees should be charged. The Benelux rights of the film remain with the rights-holder of the film. However, if no distribution agreement with a Benelux distributor is concluded within six months after the world premiere of the film, the Benelux exploitation rights are transferred to HBF. The HBF also asks for non-exclusive world VOD rights of the film, to ensure that the film can at some point (after potential exclusive deals) be included in online IFFR curated content or year-round activities.

The Hubert Bals Fund team

• Tamara Tatishvili, Head of the Hubert Bals Fund
• Jeske van der Slikke, Hubert Bals Fund Manager
• Ayumi Rosa Filippone, Hubert Bals Fund Coordinator

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