Short Film News (SFN)- The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to continue the backing of the IDFA's Jan Vrijman Fund.

Before, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) had announced that the future of the Jan Vrijman Fund is uncertain, because the Ministry has withdrawn on the basis of a formal change in the application procedure.

On 26 February, MP Boris van der Ham demanded an explanation from the then Ministers of Education, Cultural Affairs & Science and Overseas Development for the discontinuation of the financial support of Jan Vrijman Fund.

In his response, the new Minister of Overseas Development Bert Koenders said that in his opinion the Jan Vrijman Fund makes a valuable contribution to the encouragement of documentary-making in developing countries.

''The Jan Vrijman Fund enables cinema-goers to get acquainted with high-quality documentaries from developing countries, while the makers of these films are given a prominent stage that may give them world-wide publicity,'' he emphasized.

The minister concluded his response with the decision to ask the Jan Vrijman Fund to continue its activities by way of a commission. The commission the JVF will receive from Overseas Development is currently being specified.

An important consequence is that the next selection round in June can take place as planned.

By means of the Jan Vrijman Fund, IDFA has supported documentary filmmakers and festivals in developing countries since its foundation in 1988. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been one of the Fund's major financiers from the onset and to this day has been responsible for two thirds of the total budget.