Balkan Fund Presentations

The Balkan Fund is an organization which raises money to provide potential film projects with some funding to enhance and finalize their scripts. Katie and I had the opportunity to sit in on the presentations made by each project, of which there were nine in total. The presentations consisted of the director, producers, and the chief writer(s) of each film, and were roughly 20 minutes long each. Some directors chose to show a brief video which highlighted their work and gave the audience an idea of their potential, while others chose to keep it to a discussion. There was a panel of 3 judges which critiqued the script and the film in general, and to be honest, they were brutally honest and did not hesitate to tear a potential project apart. Once the judges were done scrutinizing each piece, they continued to hold private meetings with each director, producer, and writer, these were not open to the public, but were simply an extended discussion to followup the critique they already received and discuss how they would utilize the funding if they were chosen.

Following the presentations, on monday, a celebratory cocktail party was hosted at the Agora. Everyone involved in the production of the films was present, as well as the judges, and the Agora/Balkan Fund staff. The cocktail party was sponsored by Bacardi rum, and was also catered with some finger foods. Brief speeches were made by the lead officials of the Fund, and they congratulated each candidate for a good effort and encouraged them to enjoy themselves and of course, they wished them good luck.

After the cocktail party, the group made their way to an auditorium which was full of eager viewers. Once again the executives of the Fund made speeches, and were preparing to announce the three films which they selected to receive funding. In no particular order, they awarded the money to "Mother of Asphalt" which is a project about a young woman who is beaten and leaves her husband, and must provide for her child while living on the streets. The second film was "Orange Gardens" and the third was "Roman Spring". Some of the directors were so surprised to have been chosen that they had already dismissed their producer and burst into tears while trying to formulate a speech on the stage. It was a very touching ceremony to witness people being rewarded for being so passionate about film.

Immediately after the awards were presented, a film called "Here and There" was projected in the auditorium. This film was about an American who is asked to travel to Serbia to marry his friend's younger sister, so that she can obtain a visa to travel back to America with him. However, the main character falls in love with the girl's mother which creates some conflict among the characters. The movie was alright, but felt very long and some of the scenes seemed pointless or unnecessarily long.

Once the film was finished, the Balkan Fund officials and all of the applicants for the money went out to dinner at one of Thessaloniki's nicest restaurants, and celebrated the evening. Whether they won the funding or not, everyone seemed happy to have participated, and the experience itself was very rewarding.

From my point of view, the whole process seemed very well organized. The applicants followed a rigorous schedule which took up the majority of the day, and involved everyones presence. The presentations in particular consumed a lot of time. Overall, it was a very interesting experience, it showed me how these people interact with one another, and especially how valuable money such as that from the Balkan Fund can completely change a directors project, and make things possible which they never imagined could happen.