Cate Blanchett unveiled the second round of the Displacement Film Fund on March 3, 2024, during the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). This initiative, which supports filmmakers from conflict-affected regions, saw the world premieres of five short films created by directors from Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Ukraine. Each filmmaker received a grant of €100,000 (approximately $120,000) as part of the fund established in 2023.
The event spotlighted the works of notable directors including Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, known for his film *The Seed of the Sacred Fig*; Ukrainian director Maryna Er Gorbach, recognized for *Klondike*; Somali-Austrian filmmaker Mo Harawe, who directed *The Village Next to Paradise*; Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat, who recently relocated to Germany; and Syrian filmmaker Hasan Kattan, known for *Last Men in Aleppo*.
During the press conference, Blanchett emphasized the unique narratives presented in each film, stating, “The experience of being displaced is not monolithic. There are commonalities and themes that emerge, but they’re wildly different.” She noted that the films reflect the personal experiences of the filmmakers and provide diverse perspectives on displacement.
The second round of the fund has partnered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), with returning partners including the Amahoro Coalition, Master Mind, the Tamer Family Foundation, and UNIQLO. The SP Lohia Foundation joins as a new major partner. Blanchett described the fund as “a passion project” and highlighted its role in addressing the stigmas surrounding displacement, stating, “We are becoming displaced from our own humanity.”
Blanchett’s remarks follow a call for the protection of artistic freedom by festival director Vanja Kaludjercic. During the festival’s opening, Kaludjercic underscored the importance of cinema as a unifying force amidst global conflicts and societal upheaval.
The press event was hosted at the Fenix Museum of Migration, an art museum dedicated to the theme of human migration. As the filmmakers now seek distributors for their shorts, Blanchett expressed confidence in the audience’s appetite for these stories, asserting, “There’s been so much desire to see these films.”
The Displacement Film Fund aims to build on the momentum of its initial grants and continues to advocate for courageous platforms willing to showcase these impactful narratives. Blanchett concluded, “We want to capitalize on that momentum and find distributors and platforms that are as courageous as the people who got involved so far. There’s much more interest in this than we’re led to believe by that xenophobic, banal discourse that we’re forced to eat on a daily basis.”
