{"id":207206,"date":"2025-01-28T15:26:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T14:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/?p=207206"},"modified":"2025-01-31T12:09:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T11:09:09","slug":"blog-cate-blanchett-and-iffrs-hubert-bals-fund-launch-the-displacement-film-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/blog-cate-blanchett-and-iffrs-hubert-bals-fund-launch-the-displacement-film-fund","title":{"rendered":"Cate Blanchett and IFFR\u2019s Hubert Bals Fund launch the Displacement Film Fund at IFFR 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Blanchett announces new pilot scheme with support from Master Mind, Uniqlo, Droom en Daad, the Tamer Family Foundation and Amahoro Coalition as Founding Partners, the HBF as Management Partner and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as Strategic Partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Panellists from left to right: Waad Al-Kateab (credit: Sharbel Kanoun), Cate Blanchett (credit: Renato Campora), Koji Yanai (credit: Chiyoe Sugita), Tamara Tatishvili (credit: Elene Mikaberidze) and Jonas Rasmussen (credit: Andreas Omvik)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cate Blanchett, actor, producer and global Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with IFFR\u2019s Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) today announced a new short film grant scheme which will benefit 5 filmmakers in its pilot version. Bestowing up to five individual production grants of \u20ac100,000 \u2013 the Displacement Film Fund<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fund \u2013 which is backed by a coalition of leading film industry experts, creators, business leaders and philanthropists \u2013 will be formally launched at IFFR\u2019s 54th edition where Blanchett will appear on an IFFR Pro Dialogue panel on Saturday 1 February, 15.30<\/a> with Koji Yanai, Waad Al-Kateab, Jonas Rasmussen and Head of HBF, Tamara Tatishvili, moderated by Uzma Hasan \u2013 to discuss the scheme\u2019s origins, aims and the urgency of its focus. The purpose of the Fund strongly aligns with the HBF\u2019s history of supporting underrepresented voices, especially with filmmakers from countries where local filming and infrastructure is lacking or restrictive. The shared ambition is that the pilot project develops into a longer-term legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With one in every 67 people on earth forcibly displaced due to conflict, war, or persecution, the global community is witnessing an unprecedented crisis. The Displacement Film Fund was first initiated at UNHCR’s Global Refugee Forum, the world\u2019s largest gathering dedicated to addressing challenges faced by refugees and their host communities. Cate Blanchett joined fellow UNHCR supporters Ke Huy Quan, Echo Quan, Ayman Tamer, Koji Yanai, and Isaac Kwaku Fokuo to develop the idea at the event. In order to deepen the insights, expertise and reach of the Fund, Blanchett sought out and recruited a wider group of film industry experts and creatives, all of whom have a personal connection and\/or strong interest in the issue of forced displacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Selection Committee will be chaired by Cate Blanchett and includes journalist and documentarian Waad Al Kateab (We Dare to Dream<\/strong>, For Sama<\/strong>), actor, producer and musician Cynthia Erivo (Wicked<\/strong>, <\/em>Drift<\/strong>), director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland (Green Border<\/strong>), IFFR Festival Director Vanja Kaludjercic, educator, activist and refugee Aisha Khurram, filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee<\/strong>), and Amin Nawabi [alias], an LGBTQ+ asylum seeker who is Jonas\u2019 inspiration for the story of Flee<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 announced during Cannes Film Festival 2025. The finished projects will have their world premieres at IFFR 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cate Blanchett, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador<\/strong>, said: \u201cFilm can drop you into the texture and realities of someone\u2019s life like no other art form. Working with UNHCR I have engaged in both the large-scale impact and the vast statistics of forced displacement as an issue faced by millions of people \u2013 but I have also been fortunate to meet affected people directly and engage with their stories and experiences. It is this aim of creating personal, intimate touchpoints that the Displacement Film Fund is driven by. When people are forced to leave their homes, they lose access to the most basic support, but as artists they also lose access to the means to make work at a time when it is more vital than ever. I\u2019m grateful to the Hubert Bals Fund and the coalition of supremely talented individuals we\u2019ve gathered around this collective effort to step into that gap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koji Yanai, Director of the Board of the Fast Retailing Group and Film Producer, said:<\/strong> \u201cChance can often be the mother of opportunity, and I’m grateful that my chance encounter with Cate, Quan and other refugee advocates at the Global Refugee Forum created an embryonic idea that is now coming to fruition thanks to the creativity, commitment and collaboration of such a diverse group of partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both in my role at UNIQLO and as a film producer I believe passionately that film can change attitudes and have positive social impact. UNIQLO’s corporate statement is \u2018changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom, change the world\u2019 and I am confident this new Fund has the potential to change and grow opportunities for displaced film makers, and in doing so drive awareness and empathy for refugees.\u201d

Waad Al-Kateab, journalist and documentarian, said: <\/strong>\u201cAs someone who has lived through the challenges of displacement and experienced the transformative power of storytelling, I am deeply honoured to be part of this initiative. This project represents not only an opportunity to amplify underrepresented voices but also a vital step towards empowering filmmakers to share their stories of resilience, identity, and hope. I believe this process can create profound connections between communities and inspire meaningful change, and I\u2019m proud to contribute to ensuring fairness and transparency in selecting these incredible talents.\u201d

Clare Stewart, Managing Director IFFR, and Tamara Tatishvili, Head of the Hubert Bals Fund, said:<\/strong> \u201cWe are deeply proud that the framework HBF has created over the last three decades to support filmmakers across the globe making groundbreaking work in often hugely challenging environments, is trusted as the ideal management partner to enable this vital Fund. The dedication of the founding members of the Displacement Film Fund is inspiring, and we wholeheartedly support the vision to harness the power of film to articulate an experience faced by such a large portion of the world\u2019s population. We stand with them in the efforts to give displaced filmmakers vital support and to raise awareness for stories of displacement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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