The Netherlands Film Festival’s Holland Film Meeting (HFM) and the IFFR’s CineMart have got together to launch the first BoostNL programme, which aims to strengthen market assistance for international projects that have already received support from the Hubert Bals Fund or have previously been presented at CineMart, as well as Dutch projects in development.

Six international and five Dutch projects in development, as well as three works in progress, have been selected for the programme’s first edition, which will kick off at the upcoming HFM (22-25 September) and then continue at CineMart (29 January–1 February 2017). In the process, project participants will benefit from ongoing guidance, and one-on-one sessions with key international mentors will be scheduled in order to deliver festival, sales and marketing strategies that will support the projects through all stages of development, from advanced scriptwriting, through the post-production phase, to marketing and distribution. 

According to new HFM head Vanja Kaludjercic, BoostNL represents a new chapter in the tailor-made brand of consultancy that is already a trademark of the HFM: “What we are creating with BoostNL is a more thorough, more streamlined and longer-running expert programme providing producers and directors with continuous support for a project’s further development and improvement.”

For CineMart’s Marit van den Elshout, the programme allows them to “do more for projects throughout the year, especially for those that we have already invested in via the Hubert Bals Fund and CineMart”.

Besides the brand-new BoostNL programme, this year, the HFM will also host the traditional Co-Production Platform, the selection for which is due to be announced in a few days.

The list of the BoostNL selected projects includes:

International projects in development

Bootlegger – Caroline Monnet (Canada)
Producer: Catherine Chagnon (Microclimat Films)

The Bridge – Hala Lotfy (Egypt)
Producer: Mohamed Samir (DayDream Art Production)

Jessica – Ninja Thyberg (Sweden)
Producer: Erik Hemmendorff (Plattform Produktion)

Loveling – Gustavo Pizzi (Brazil)
Producer: Tatiana Leite (Bubbles Project)

The Reports on Sarah and Saleem [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] – Muayad Alayan and Rami Alayan (Palestine)
Production company: PalCine Productions

Tehran, City of Love [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] – Ali Jaberansari (UK)
Producer: Babak Jalali (Here & There Productions)

Dutch projects in development

Dreamscape – Anna van der Heide
Scriptwriter: Tijs van Marle
Producer: Iris Otten (Pupkin Film)

In the Arms of Morpheus – Marc Schmidt
Producers: Janneke Doolaard, Hanneke Niens and Hans de Wolf (KeyDocs)

Dirty God [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Sacha Polak
scheda film] – Sacha Polak
Producer: Marleen Slot (Viking Film)

Quicksand – Margot Schaap
Producer: Ellen Havenith (PRPL)

Totem – Sander Burger
Scriptwriter: Bastiaan Tichler
Producer: Denis Vaslin (Volya Films)

Works in progress

Charlie and Hannah’s Grand Night Out – Bert Scholiers (Belgium)
Producers: Tomas Leyers and Marc Goyens (Minds Meet)

Mormaço – Marina Meliande (Brazil)
Producer: Leonardo Mecchi (Enquadramento Produçoes)

Quality Time [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Daan Bakker
scheda film] – Daan Bakker (Netherlands)
Producer: Iris Otten (Pupkin Film)