Of the many visitors that come and go during the course of
IFFI, there are many unknown quantities that are specialists in their own
right. One such individual is Bianca Taal.
Having been appointed at the International Film Festival
Rotterdam as their programmer, Bianca’s understanding of picking gems from the
industry has proven to be invaluable. She has overseen the 2012 selection of
feature films from Greece, Turkey, Israel, Iran and the Arab world for the
festival. She has also gained similar expertise from being a member of the
CineMart Selection Committee, where she was Co-Manager from 2005-2007. CineMart
acts as an international co-production market for the Rotterdam Film Festival
much like the NFDC Film Bazaar does by running alongside IFFI. CineMart has
long-since claimed to be the first platform of its kind to offer filmmakers an
opportunity that enables them to launch their ideas to the international
industry in an attempt to get their projects financed. With her eye on
successful productions of the past, she is looking to recreate her endeavours
at the NFDC Film Bazaar as well.
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Touching on what it has brought her to Goan shores, Bianca
elucidates “The film bazaar here has been a great source of discovery. From
Miss Lovely to Ship of Theseus, there have been many films that have been
channelled through here and gone on to achieve great things. As such, it
appears to be a viable market and one that I hope to be able to discover
something great at.”
Bianca spent the better part of 2009 right up to November
2011 as Head of Programmes at the Binger Film lab in Amsterdam. She also served
as an advisor on the Committee of Feature Fiction Film of the Dutch Film Fund
from 2006 – 2010. Having also been a part of the Commission for Moving Images
of the Rotterdam Culture Council and a board member of the Holland Animation
Festival in Utrecht, she has a keenly trained eye to pick out talented
productions. Highlighting what she earmarks as part of her checklist for
success, Bianca points out what it takes, in her opinion to succeed at fairs
like these. “What I primarily look for is great vision. What I seek, in terms
of talent goes beyond direction. I need to find someone, who as a director is
also an auteur. This for me can be pivotal, in terms of scouting for the
future.”
With her eye set on finding the next big thing, filmmakers
who have done their due diligence could well be in line for a much needed boost
from an industry insider.
