Displacement Film Fund FAQ

The Displacement Film Fund is established to 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.

The pilot scheme was launched at IFFR 2025 by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett with support from Master Mind, Uniqlo, Droom en Daad, the Tamer Family Foundation and Amahoro Coalition as Founding Partners, the Hubert Bals Fund as Management Partner and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as Strategic Partner.

The fund is addressed to displaced filmmakers, or filmmakers with a proven track record in creating authentic storytelling on the experiences of displaced people. 

To champion and support displaced filmmakers and/or to bring storytelling on the experience of displacement to different audiences.

No, in 2025 the pilot version of the Fund will use a nomination process.

Filmmakers will be selected for the pilot Fund following a two-step process. A longlist of filmmakers will be determined by the Nominations Committee and then the Selection Committee will decide on final recipients with selected filmmakers. The finished projects will have their world premieres at IFFR 2026.

HBF and IFFR team members, as well as representatives from the founding partners and strategic partner UNHCR.

The Selection Committee will be chaired by Cate Blanchett and includes journalist and documentarian Waad Al Kateab (We Dare to Dream, For Sama), actor, producer and musician Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, Drift), director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland (Green Border), IFFR Festival Director Vanja Kaludjercic, educator, activist and refugee Aisha Khurram, filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee), and Amin Nawabi [alias], an LGBTQ+ asylum seeker who is Jonas’ inspiration for the story of Flee.

Up to five individual short film production grants of €100,000 each.

Projects selected for the pilot Displacement Film Fund will be shown at IFFR 2026.

2025 is the pilot phase. Based on the outcomes we will assess whether we can progress to a legacy programme with open calls. We will publish further updates on  the Displacement Film Fund on the HBF website.