Sørfond grants for ten projects in 2024

The Norwegian Film Institute received 33 applications for Sørfond this year, with a total application amount of 24 million kroner. Since its establishment in 2011, Sørfond has provided grants for 97 productions, including this year's grants. Ten productions have received grants from Sørfond this year; two documentaries, one hybrid and seven fiction films have received a total of 5,425,000 Norwegian kroner. 

Sørfond is financed through the foreign aid budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is managed by the Norwegian Film Institute in collaboration with the Oslo Festival Agency.

This year's Sørfond jury consisted of Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya), filmmaker; Sophie Bourdon (France), film consultant; and Mads Wølner Voss, Project Manager of Sørfond at the Oslo Festival Agency.

Statement from the Jury

"We had the honorable and difficult task of reading and evaluating several projects by talented filmmakers from all over the world. This task has introduced us to new stories, perspectives, and visions from debutants and established filmmakers. This journey has been a privilege.

The jury was greatly impressed by the quality of the applicants and applications, which included stories that all deserved attention. Making the final decision among such a vast array of wonderful projects was a difficult task.

Our final selection of ten projects includes two documentaries, one documentary/fiction hybrid, and seven feature films. The selection represents a variety in form and content, and through evaluating them, convinced the jury through their strong concepts and compelling characters and themes. This year’s selection represents a great geographic spread, with projects from Palestine, El Salvador, Cuba, Colombia, India, Morocco, Jordan, Iran, Nepal, and Turkey.

In a climate where freedom of speech is under pressure throughout our world, the jury acknowledges the importance of lifting up these projects that, in various ways, will contribute to Sørfond’s overall objectives: to strengthen the freedom of speech and human rights, strengthen film as a cultural expression, and to promote artistic freedom and cultural diversity." 

Projects that have received grants from Sørfond in 2024

All Before You

Photo: Annemarie Jacir

Country: West Bank and Gaza

Genre: Fiction

Director: Annemarie Jacir

Norwegian co-producer: Elisa Fernanda Pirir Ruiz, Stær Films 

Producer: Ossama Bawardi

Support: NOK 500 000

Synopsis:

Palestine under the British Mandate. The backdrop is a shifting world that will lead to the start of World War II. Our story is told over four years 1935 – 38, though not always chronologically. Our characters are fictional, but the historic reference factual.

Jury Statement:

All Before You subtly immerses the viewer in the pivotal period of Palestinian history, the mid-1930s, when everything is shifting. The Jury was particularly won over by the captivating storytelling and the female director's highly personal, contemporary approach to this traumatic page from the past. With great empathy for her well-portrayed characters, she transforms a historical film about the disintegration of a country and the start of a war into the vibrant story of a people whose thirst for freedom remains intact today. It's a major film whose relevance resonates fiercely with our times.

Dear Friend

Country: Turkey

Genre: Documentary

Norwegian co-producer: Sarah Winge-Sørensen, Stray Dogs

Support: NOK 450 000

Jury Statement: 

Through a refreshing and deeply personal lens, Dear Friend delves into the complexities of supporting a friend through a crisis, while navigating an untrustworthy justice system. As it grapples with the ambiguity of truth and justice, the documentary also sheds light on the challenges faced by family and friends of those in crisis, and showcases the unwavering determination and radical hope necessary to navigate through insurmountable odds and a powerful, dominating administration.

Eldorado, The Taste Of The South

Photo: Alaa Eddine Aljem

Country: Morocco

Genre: Fiction

Director: Alaa Eddine Aljem

Norwegian co-producer: Linda Bolstad Strønen, Duofilm 

Producer: Francesca Duca

Support: NOK 600 000

Synopsis:

A group of migrants are looking to reach Eldorado, a secret utopian island where everyone lives in peace. They eventually arrive in a tomato sauce factory of the same name.

Jury Statement: Eldorado, the Taste of the South tells an absurdist story of migrants arriving in the mythical land of Eldorado, where citizenship can only be obtained through a year’s work for a tomato sauce factory. The jury found the balance of humour and realism in the script impressively handled, creating a satirical and important story with a piercing commentary on systematic injustice and labour exploitation of migrants. 

Elephants In The Fog

Photo: Underground Talkies Nepal

Country: Nepal

Genre: Fiction

Director: Abinash Bikram Shah

Norwegian co-producer: Verona Meier, Storm Films

Producer: Anup Poudel

Support: NOK 600 000

Synopsis:

In a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, Pirati is the matriarch of a community of transgender women. She aspires to a «normal» life with Master, the mustachioed man she is in love with. But when one of her «daughters» disappears, she must choose between love and responsibility to her community.

Jury Statement:

Set nowadays in the Kinnar community in Southern Nepal, Elephants in the Fog delicately explores the functioning of Nepalese patriarchal society and the hardships faced by gender minorities. The jury was seduced by this captivating drama written by a first-time director, driven by engaging female characters, as much by its compelling personal vision. This film is a universal invitation to reflect on the mechanisms of marginalisation, discrimination and violence.

Libertinas

Photo: Leslie Ortiz

Country: El Salvador

Genre: Fiction

Director: Leslie Ortiz

Norwegian co-producer: Ellen Ugelstad, TwentyOne Pictures  

Producer: Adriana Morán

Support: NOK 500 000

Synopsis:

Liz lives a life she never wanted, treading a path that was paved for her after an unwanted pregnancy at the age of 16. Since then, her life was no longer her own and she has gone through life at the mercy of others. One day Liz finds herself at the local theater and it awaken something in her that sets her on a path of breaking free from the cage of her everyday life.

Jury Statement: 

In Libertinas, director Leslie Ortiz sets out to demystify the idealization of the maternal figure in a drama with fantastical elements set in El Salvador. The jury was impressed with how the script manages to do this. At the same time, it balances the supernatural elements in a brave and important film with a particular focus on women’s freedom and rights in the country, both through its story and reflected in the filmmaking team. 

Noviembre

Photo: Burning / Tomas Corredor

Country: Colombia

Genre: Fiksjon

Director: Tomás Corredor

Norwegian co-producer: Eric Vogel, Tordenfilm

Producer: Diana Bustamante Escobar

Support: NOK 475 000

Synopsis:

In November of 1985, the M-19 guerrillas took over the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, Colombia. Their plan to take the Supreme Court hostage and prosecute the President soon unraveled as the army responded. In the chaos, a small group found themselves trapped in a bathroom with other civilians seeking refuge. For close to 27 hours, they endured the brutal crossfire between their captors and the state armed forces - a situation they had not chosen to be a part of.

Jury Statement: 

The enthralling political thriller, Noviembre, takes place entirely in a cramped bathroom. With a bold and ambitious premise, the film immerses us in a historical drama as its characters struggle to survive while trapped in such a confined space. As the threat of death looms just outside their walls, the unlikely comrades demonstrate unwavering compassion and camaraderie, making for a riveting and emotional story, and an unforgettable experience. 

Qashqai Tribe: Once Upon A Time In Shiraz

 

Photo: Hamed Zolfaghari

Country: Iran

Genre: Documentary

Director: Hamed Zolfaghari

Norwegian co-producer: Verona Meier, Storm Films

Producer: Hamed Zolfaghari

Support: NOK 550 000

Synopsis:

Valiollah and Dorna are preparing for their last migration to the summer grazelands in a situation where their sons refuse nomadic life and the migration through Shiraz city has become so dangerous...

Jury Statement:

Hamed Zolfaghari’s observational documentary will portray the lives of a minority community in Iran, the nomadic Qashqaies. The jury was impressed with the footage already captured, which, through subtle and intelligent cinematic language, highlights a lifestyle and culture under threat due to external pressure from the Iranian government and the generational divide within the family it portrays. 

Reshma Shera

Photo: Megha Ramaswamy

Country: India

Genre: Fiction

Director: Megha Ramaswamy

Norwegian co-producer: Gudny Hummelvoll, Hummelfilm

Producer: Gaurav Dhingra, Jungle Book Content Studio P

Support: NOK 600 000

Synopsis:

Reshma, 9, works as a sorter in an illegal mica mine. Following the death of her mother in a mining accident, she is betrothed to the mine owner’s son, Beenu, 10, while also being deemed ill-fated by the village elder owing to a stubborn dogtooth rooted in her upper jaw. Going by their age-old custom to ward off evil luck such as hers, the villagers ready Shera, an ensnared pariah dog as the groom to marry a confused and disheartened Reshma, before she can marry her future husband. 

Jury Statement: 

Megha Ramaswamy artfully interlaces the innocence of childhood, the harshness of labor in a mine, and the whimsical excitement of bonding with one's first pet. Set against a backdrop of stark contradictions, she delves into the realm of absurdist dark humor to showcase humanity's enduring strength in the face of adversity, while also exploring its unyielding quest for hope amidst tumultuous circumstances.

The Star

Photo: Alejandro Alonso

Country: Cuba

Genre: Hybrid

Director: Alejandro Alonso

Norwegian co-producer: Anita Norfolk, Folk Film

Producer: Daniela Muñoz Barroso

Support: NOK 450 000

Synopsis:

Pitufo, a young Cuban shipbreaker, dreams of escaping the remote bay where he spends his days between metal and fire. In search of his freedom, he embarks on a labyrinthine journey to the swamps of Southwest Florida. An uncanny territory where he must face his deepest fears. The Star portrays the emigration process in depth, exploring how space, dreams and desires define a journey full of uncertainties.

Jury Statement: 

The Star offers the Cuban perspective on the country's biggest exodus taking place in the last two years, with more than 450,000 Cubans reaching American shores. The Jury was impressed by the singular formal approach of this first-time director, which oscillates between documentary and fiction, and so poignantly reflects the transformation of this country as well as the feeling of drift and loss that most Cuban migrants experience. 

The Station

Photo: Sara Ishaq

Country: Yemen and Jordan

Genre: Fiction

Director: Sara Ishaq

Norwegian co-producer: Ingrid Lill Høgtun, Barentsfilm AS

Producer: Nadia Eliewat

Support: NOK 700 000 

Synopsis: 

In a women's-only petrol station in Yemen, the bond between three siblings is put to the test when war forces them to make impossible decisions.

Jury Statement: 

The Station is a powerful narrative that unfolds in a women-only petrol station in a gender-segregated, war-torn village in Yemen. The jury was particularly captivated by the beautifully portrayed characters and the script's ability to blend humor and seriousness while exploring the central theme of a family shattered by war. The film also offers a distinct perspective on the daily lives of women in Yemen, their relationships, interactions, and behaviors, in spaces devoid of men.