EcoMuvi and Hubert Bals Fund: a new model for sustainable film funding

EcoMuvi is pleased to share the recent publication by the International Film Festival Rotterdam dedicated to the collaboration between the Hubert Bals Fund and EcoMuvi within the 2026 edition of HBF+Europe.

This collaboration marks an important step in showing how sustainability can become a structural part of international film funding, without compromising artistic ambition, creative freedom or the strength of the works selected.

Over the past year, EcoMuvi and the Hubert Bals Fund worked closely together to integrate a more holistic approach to sustainability into the Fund’s selection process. The work included the revision of the selection criteria, a joint webinar for applicants, and EcoMuvi’s direct involvement in the jury committee.

The result was a concrete and measurable framework, built around environmental, social and economic/governance responsibility. Every selected project achieved a baseline of at least 8 out of 15 points on EcoMuvi’s sustainability scale, demonstrating that funds can play a decisive role in encouraging responsible production models from the earliest stages of development.

For EcoMuvi, this collaboration was especially meaningful because it confirmed a key principle: sustainability is not a limitation, but a driver of quality, competitiveness and long-term impact. The projects that stood out most strongly for their artistic value were also those that showed the highest commitment to sustainable integrity.

As Ludovica Chiarini, CEO of EcoMuvi, stated:

“This wasn’t a partnership of surface-level adjustments. It was a deep, honest integration of values into how the fund actually operates. This round showed that no compromise is required when awarding films with a fierce artistic voice, as the projects that resonated most with the jury were the same ones demonstrating the highest commitment to sustainable integrity.

We hope this model serves as a blueprint for other institutions: fostering the cinema of tomorrow requires a commitment to the structures that sustain it today.”

The collaboration between EcoMuvi and the Hubert Bals Fund also responds to a growing need within the European and international audiovisual sector: aligning creative excellence, funding competitiveness and sustainability requirements, including those increasingly promoted within Creative Europe and related frameworks.

This experience shows that film funds can make a difference. By embedding clear, measurable and holistic sustainability criteria into their processes, they can support productions that are not only artistically powerful, but also responsible in the way they are developed, structured and delivered.