Fifteen films by first or second filmmakers competed in the VPRO Tiger Awards Competition 2008. The Jury consists of Mr. Royston Tan - Singapore filmmaker and film producer, Russian filmmaker, actress and film producer Ms. Renata Litvinova, Mr. Rieks Hadders - former Deputy Director of the Filmmuseum in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Ms. Tiziana Finzi, Deputy Director Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, and Iranian filmmaker and film producer Mr. Jafar Panahi (jury president).

The jury statements on the VPRO Tiger Award winning films:

WONDERFUL TOWN by Aditya Assarat (Thailand, 2007)
(supported by Hubert Bals Fund)
‘for its amazing imaging through the film and a fresh perspective on the disaster of Tsunami. The film is a societal mirror in which we see Tsunami’s loss in different layers. The Jury also values the unconventional ending of the film’

FLOWER IN THE POCKET by Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia, 2007)
‘because of its well considered and aware look in the world of children. The actors are chosen correctly and guided and directed properly. The film has an excellent visual expression.’

GO WITH PEACE JAMAL (MA SALAMA JAMIL) by Omar Shargawi (Denmark, 2008)
‘for its strong directing and acting work. By showing narrow shots, the director chooses an appropriate style in order to present restrictions in a closed society. The Jury also welcomes the great captivating rhythm of the film.’

Each VPRO Tiger Award comes with a prize of Euro 15,000 and guaranteed broadcast by Dutch public television network VPRO.


Dioraphte Award
The international jury, comprised of Marianne Bhalotra (former Hubert Bals Fund Manager), Amra Baksic Camo (Sarajevo’s Cinelink Program Manager) and Malaysian filmmaker Ho Yuhang (Malaysia), presented the first Dioraphte Award for Best Hubert Bals Fund Supported Film to:

MUTUM by Sandra Kogut (Brazil/France, 2007)
“With its condensed emotion and boundless energy, this precisely directed and acted film tells the story of a harsh world with genuine urge. It is uncompromising in its vision and unsentimental in its treatment. Its poetic wholesomeness is evident in the textured details of a remote time and place that are also very close to our hearts. We were very moved.”

The winner was selected from the twenty-two Hubert Bals Fund supported films in this year’s official IFFR selection.


NETPAC Award
The NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Jury, consisting of Bina Paul Venugopal artistic director of International Film Festival Kerala and NETPAC jury chair, India), Shanty Harmayn (film producer and board member of Jakarta International Film Festival, Indonesia) and Wong Tuck Cheong (vice-president of Kelab Seni Film Malaysia), presented the NETPAC Award to:

WHAT ON EARTH HAVE I DONE WRONG?! van Niu Doze Chen-zer (Taiwan, 2007)
“It is a début film that has deftly crafted a humorous drama that mocks filmmaking with great sensitivity and arrives at a profound insight into the human condition”

A Special Mention was awarded to:

CRUDE OIL (CAI YOU RI JI) by Wang Bing (China, 2008)
“Its dispassionate expose of the hardship of human labour which is the basis of economic progress."

CRUDE OIL (CAI YOU RI JI), supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, screened as video installation within the IFFR 2008 exhibition ‘New Dragon Inns’.

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FIPRESCI Award
The jury of the international association of film critics FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), consisted of jury chair Mr. Thomas Rothschild ('Freitag',Germany), Mr. Alberto Ramos Ruiz ('SIGNIS Media', Cuba), Mr. Télesphore Mba Bizo ('Terroir’, Cameroun), Ms. KIM Haery ('Cine21', South-Korea) and Mr. André Waardenburg ('Skrien', The Netherlands).

The jury states: “The jury has selected this film for its breathtaking cinematography combined with subtle sound design that seamlessly integrates and contrasts human beings and nature. The jury is also impressed by the director’s empathic approach which examines people yearning for affection yet unable to express emotions in a direct manner“

The FIPRESCI decided to award the International Critics’ Prize to THE SKY, THE EARTH AND THE RAIN (EL CIELO, LA TIERRA, Y LA LLUVIA) by José Luis Torres Leiva (Chile, 2008).

THE SKY, THE EARTH AND THE RAIN (EL CIELO, LA TIERRA, Y LA LLUVIA) was selected for the the VPRO Tiger Awards Competition of the 2008 International Film Festival Rotterdam.


KNF Award
The jury of the KNF, the Association of Dutch film critics, at the International Film Festival Rotterdam consisting of jury president Peter van Bueren (film monthly magazine Skrien, The Netherlands), Ms. Elaine Brand (daily newspaper De Pers, The Netherlands), Ms. Maricke Nieuwdorp (monthly magazine Glamcult, weekly magazine TV/Film, The Netherlands), Mr. Mike Naafs (monthly film magazine De Filmkrant, The Netherlands), and Mr. René Glas (weekly magazines Folia and Vrij Nederland, The Netherlands).

The KNF Jury has chosen its winner among films in Rotterdam 2008 official selection that have not yet been acquired for Dutch distribution.

The winner of the KNF Award is CARGO 200 (GRUZ 200) by Alexei Balabanov (Russia, 2007).

To the KNF Award, a grant is attached for subtitling the film, sponsored by HOLLAND SUBTITLING. The Award of the KNF is meant to promote the acquisition for distribution within The Netherlands.


Earlier in the festival, the following awards were announced:


Tiger Awards Competition for short film
The three Tiger Awards for Short Film were granted to AH, LIBERTY! by Ben Rivers (United Kingdom, 2007), AS I LAY DYING by Ho Yuhang (Malaysia, 2007) and OBSERVANDO EL CIELO by Jeanne Liotta (United States, 2007).

The jury for Tiger Awards for Short Film comprised Ms. Moniek Toebosch (The Netherlands), visual artist, Ms. Katia Rossini (Belgium), curator of Brussels-based film theatre and film distributor Cinema Nova and Mr. Mike Hoolboom (Canada).


Prix UIP Rotterdam
The winner of the fourth ‘Prix UIP Rotterdam’ for short film (prize money: Euro 2,000) was presented to JOY by Joe Lawlor & Christine Molloy (United Kingdom, 2008).

An honourable mention was awarded to UNLITH by Mihai Grecu (France, 2007)

The jury consisted of jury president Dutch filmmakers Ms. Coco Schrijber and Ms. Sietske Tjallingii and Director of the Cork Film Festival Mr. Michael Hannigan (Ireland).

The European Film Academy and UIP present a Prix UIP at fourteen film festivals across Europe. The prize includes 2,000 Euro and automatic nomination for the European Film Awards, the 1,600 members of the European Film Academy then vote for the winner. For the first ‘Prix UIP Rotterdam Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards’ (prize money: Euro 2,000) 15 European fiction films, of up to fifteen minutes, have been selected.


MovieSquad Award
The Rotterdam young people’s jury, consisting of Ms. Giulia Bijvoet (17), Mr. Wouter Booij (19), Mr. Sander Kersten (16), Ms. Katia Truijen (17) and Mr. Glenn Vergoossen (17) chose the winner out of twenty-two films in official Rotterdam 2008 selection. The award comprises Dutch distribution within the MovieZone educational film programme for young people and 2,000 Euro to be spend on its promotion among young people in The Netherlands.

The jury presented the MovieSquad Award to PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud (France, 2007).

MovieSquad is an initiative of the Nederlands Instituut voor Filmeducatie (Dutch Institute for Film Education) in collaboration with the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Arte France Cinéma Awards
The Arte France Cinema Award (10,000 Euro) for the best CineMart 2008 Projects was given to THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY by Sophie Fiennes, a production of Kasander (UK/The Netherlands).

The Arte France Cinema Awards Jury 2008 consisted of Michel Reilhac (France, General Manager Arte France Cinéma) and Alexandre Mallet-Guy (France, Managing Director Memento Films).

The Arte France Cinéma Awards are in cash, given to the producers towards financing the development of the awarded projects. By introducing the Award, Arte France Cinéma and CineMart aim to further support and promote the development and production of independent filmmaking.


Prince Claus Fund Film Grant
The eighth Prince Claus Fund Film Grant of 15,000 Euro has been awarded to the CineMart 2008 Project IN WHAT CITY DOES IT LIVE? by Liew Seng Tat / Dahuang Pictures. The Grant was announced during the CineMart Closing Night Party on January 30, 2008. IN WHAT CITY DOES IT LIVE? is supported by the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

The Jury of the 2008 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant consisted of: Karim Traïdia (The Netherlands, Jury Chairman, filmmaker and member of the Board of the Prince Claus Fund), Rene Mioch (The Netherlands, film expert and producer), Susanna Harutyunyan (Armenia, Artistic Director Golden Apricot Yerevan Internatuonal Film Festival), Garin Nugroho (Indonesia, filmmaker) and Simon Field (UK, International Artistic Director of the Dubai International Film Festival and film producer).

The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant aims at supporting the first creative phase of the development of a film production.