By the Time It Gets Dark

04/02/2010

The 2010 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant goes to By the Time It Gets Dark, written by Anocha Suwichakornpong (1976, Thailand). The storyline chronicles the adventures and misadventures of a strong women who is looking for freedom in the way she lives. Despite its metaphorical sounding title, the film is based on the physical realities of everyday life. In co-operation with CineMart, the Prince Claus Fund Film Grant is awarded to support the initial creative phase of the development of a film production. The Grant is annually presented to a CineMart project by a filmmaker from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean.

The jury is impressed by the use of unconventional ‘episodic’ storytelling to evoke a strong and highly personal perspective on contemporary Thailand. The story is only advanced by the inner desires of the main character, while exploring the physical realities of everyday life and digging deep into the landscapes, whether they be the factories and high rise buildings of the expanding mega polis of Bangkok or the natural beauty of Thailand. It is a portrait of Thailand that will never make it to the tourist-billboard dotted Bangkok. By The Time It Gets Dark will be the second feature film of a young, yet mature filmmaker, that has already impressed the jury with her first feature film Mundane History, currently in competition at IFFR.

The script evokes a strong and unique perspective on Thai culture, as marvellous sceneries combined with images and sound overtake established conventions of storytelling. To quote director Anocha Suwichakornpong, ‘It is my intention to make a film that digs deep into the landscapes, whether they be the man-made landscape or the natural landscape [....] it is the heroine’s inner conflicts and her emotions which remain the core of the story, and thus the main subjects of study in this film.’

Anocha Suwichakornpong (1976, Thailand) graduated in 2006 from an MFA Film Programme at Columbia University (New York). There she was the recipient of a Hollywood Foreign Press Association Fellowship. Suwichakornpong’s Graceland (2006) became the first Thai short film to screen at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, and also screened at the IFFR 2007. Suwichakornpong directed Lunch, as part of the Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner trilogy, a feature co-directed by Asian female directors from China, Thailand, and Singapore scheduled for release in 2010. Suwichakornpong’s first feature Mundane History (2009) was supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, and is screened in the VPRO Tiger Awards Competition at IFFR 2010.

The Jury of the 2010 Prince Claus Fund Film Grant consists of: Bregtje van der Haak, chair (Netherlands), political scientist, journalist, documentary maker and member of the Prince Claus Fund Board; Maartje Nevejan (Netherlands), documentary maker; KarimTraïdia (Algeria/Netherlands), film maker; Violeta Bava (Argentina), Co-Director of BuenosAires Lab, BuenosAires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente and Peter Rorvik (SouthAfrica) director of Durban International Film Festival.

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The Prince Claus Fund Film Grant supports the first creative phase of the development of a film production. CineMart is the co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. An international jury of professionals covering different fields of the film industry will select a CineMart project by a filmmaker from Africa,Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean.This project will be chosen for its innovative qualities and excellent concept. The objective of the Prince Claus Fund Film Grant is to highlight a filmmaker of great quality who inspires other filmmakers with engaged stories. Since 2001, the Prince Claus Fund Film Grant has contributed to the realisation of four film productions: The Photograph (2007), by Nan T. Achnas, Indonesia; Hamaca Paraguaya (2006) by Paz Encina, Paraguay; La Nuit de laVerité (2004) by Fanta Régina Nacro, France/Burkina Faso and The Forsaken Land (2005) by Vimukhti Jayasundara, Sri Lanka which won a Caméra d’Or on the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

The Prince Claus Fund actively seeks international cultural collaborations with partners of excellence in spaces of need. The Fund provides immediate cultural rescue as well as support to sustainable cultural processes. It takes initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of culture in everyday life and for development.The Fund works in the spirit of Prince Claus’ belief that one cannot develop people, but people develop themselves.The Prince Claus Fund is based in Amsterdam and is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. www.princeclausfund.org