For the sixth consecutive year, the Balkan Fund of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival concluded its 3-day Workshop with the participation of 11 pre-selected projects submitted by writers, directors and producers from the Balkan countries.

The International Jury consisting of:

Christina Kallas, screenwriter/producer
Richard Kwietniowski, screenwriter/director
Milcho Manchevski, screenwriter/director
Simon Perry, producer and chief executive of the Irish Film Board
Razvan Radulescu, screenwriter/director

granted the four (4) Balkan Fund Awards to the following projects:

1. ZINCOGRAPH, writer Vladislav Todorov, director Javor Gardev, producer Buriana Zakharieva, company: Perepeteia LLC Bulgaria
2. NUMBER ZERO, writer / director Sirri Sureyya Onder, producer Necati Akpinar, company: Besiktas Kultur Merkezi Turkey
3. WHITE THREAD, BLACK THREAD, writer Natassa Segou, director, Christos Karakepelis, producer Zoe Lisgara company: CL Productions Greece
4. SUBMISSION, writer Zeynep Ozcan, director Emre Yalgin, producer Ayfer Tuncer company: SRL Film Productions Turkey

A 10.000 € award is granted to each selected project for the development of their scripts.

The Balkan Fund continues its successful course every year.
An impressive amount of films that have been developed and completed with the Fund’s support:

• Snow, Grand Prize Critic’s Week, Cannes 2008
• California Dreamin’ (endless), Un Certain Regard Award, Cannes 2007
• Grbavica (Esma’s Secret), Golden Bear, Berlin 2006
• Gucha - Distant Trumpet, Berlin Film Festival-Panorama 2007
• Hidden Faces, World Premiere at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2007
• The Tuning, Main Prize at the Mannheim Film Festival & Best Feature Film award at the Napoli Film Festival 2005.

This year’s 49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival is screening four Balkan Fund awarded films: Small Crime by Christos Georgiou (awarded in 2003), Snow by Aida Begic (awarded in 2004), A Farewell to Hemingway by Svetloslav Ovcharov (also awarded in 2004 and an International Premiere in Thessaloniki) and The Tour by Goran Markovic (participated in 2007).