21/03/2003 - VAF received over 175 requests for funding in its first six months and contributed to both arthouse and commercial titles

Although it’s only been operational for six months, the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) has already received 175 requests for financial support, and accepted fifty projects including 24 feature dramas. "This is an huge number of requests, " said the head of VAF Luckas Vander Taelen, adding that the principle criterion for eligibility is the quality of the projects submitted. "First of all, we want to support high quality, auteur-driven projects, » said Vander Taelen in an interview with Belgian news agency Belga, "but that does not mean that we automatically exclude commerical films. "

Vander Taelen invited Flemish productions to put forward documentary projects. The Fund has an annual budget of Euros12.5 million, 78 per cent of which are earmarked for the support of projects (be they dramas, documentaries, animated and/or experimental films). Another important source of funding is the Flanders Image Fund, directed by former journalist, Christian De Schutter.