The Jordan Film Fund launches a call for submissions
Submission deadline: October 15
For more information, visit the "How to Apply" page.
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Jordan Film Fund
For more information, visit the "How to Apply" page.
Berlinale co-production market
Experienced producers, apply to the Berlinale co-production market!
Submission deadline: October 24
Click here for more information
Carthage Film Festival’s Producers' Network
Take part in the Carthage Film Festival’s Producers' Network!
Submission deadline: September 30, 2012
More details on : http://euromedaudiovisuel.net/p.aspx?t=news&mid=21&cid=4&l=en&did=906
Venice Biennale College
Director-producer teams, apply for the new Venice Biennale College!
Submission deadline: October 22
For detailed information click hereDOCmed 2013
Call for Arab producers - DOCmed 2013
Submission deadline: December 3, 2012
You are a creative documentary producer or a director/producer from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian occupied territories, Syria and Tunisia and a holder of a documentary film project with the ambition of ensuring to your project the best conditions for productions and/or co productions ? Subscribe to DOCmed 2013.
More info: http://euromedaudiovisuel.net/p.aspx?t=news&mid=21&cid=4&l=en&did=873
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Casting Call for
an artist’s film.
A film by Florent Meng and Salma Cheddadi
“Parking” is a film directed by two French artists and
to be shooted in Lebanon through Winter 2012 The casting will take place in
Beyrouth in October and November 2012.
To apply, please send email with your name, age, short
description and a photo portrait at the following adress :
projet.parking@gmail.com
Qualifications required
Boy or Girl,
between 17 and 24. (Parental authorization for people under 18).
Speaking Arabic
and French or English.
No acting experience required.
A certain liking for dancing is a
plus.
Financial remuneration
The film’s production does not yet
allow the financial remuneration of actors. We will
nevertheless be offering a return plane ticket Beyrouth/ Paris and accomodation
to the two selected actors in order to present the film in Europe.
Monday, September 10, 2012
OPEN LETTER / LETTRE OUVERTE
OPEN LETTER TO LEBANESE CINEMA PROFESSIONALS
A FEW PERSONNAL IDEAS. MY REACTION TO THE MEETING REGARDING FILM PRODUCTION IN LEBANON, WHICH TOOK PLACE AT THE FRENCH INSTITUTE ON THE 6TH OF SEPTEMBER 2012.
Dear film professionals,
First of all, I would like to congratulate Pierre Sarraf and the French Institute for this well organized and essential event.
For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself briefly: I’ve been working on Lebanese films for ten years now, mostly as an assistant director, I directed a short film Bukra sette w noss/ Tomorrow, 6:30, and I am actually developing a feature film.
What I am about to say is just my personal opinion, a few ideas from a fellow film professional.
I was amazed by the keen interest sparked off by this event and by the presence of almost all the key players working in the very peculiar world of Lebanese cinema. The event revealed a very important element: the professionals’ undeniable will to create a viable industry and to put an end to our sector’s “poverty”.
As Pierre Sarraf underlined it from the start, the number of films produced in Lebanon is raising. The desire to make films as well. Today, there are new players in the Lebanese cinema’s landscape, new tendencies, but mostly new visions regarding cinema and the way to make it. For example, a strong will to develop a popular and commercial cinema.
I think this is very healthy. I also think Mr Bereyziat’s intervention was extremely necessary, and his presentation of the CNC (France’s National Cinema Center) simple but essential. Essential because many players of the Lebanese film industry [including me] have very little information on how the European film financing systems really works.
Here are the few ideas I would like to share:
1-
A young director or screenwriter who has a project is often blocked early on in the process because he seldom knows what to do with it. He doesn’t know on which door to knock. First thing to do, of course, is to find someone who is going to guide him through the process. But this is easier to said than done.
On the other hand, a young talent who has an interesting project rarely has enough information regarding the steps to follow to “start things up”. This information needs to be accessible to everyone interested in cinema, and centralized. A Lebanese CNC? Yes, sure, why not? But before even talking about creating a Lebanese Fund for cinema, we should think about the way to create a center that would gather information to which every Lebanese would have access.
In short, there should be an alternative to the usual mouth to ear process (ie some director hears that another got a writing development fund somewhere and decides to have a go). It doesn’t cost much… it only requires will.
Having participated two years ago in the Rawi-Sundance screenwriter’s lab in Jordan, I realized how much the Jordanian Royal Film Commission was active and efficient. In a country where the film industry is less developed than in Lebanon, where there are less productions and where technicians aren’t (yet) as experienced, the RFC has succeeded where Lebanese players haven’t: it managed to canalize the energy and talents and to centralize the information linked to cinema.
I am also thinking about organizations such as Sundance in the USA, or Raindance in London, that started – parallel to their exponentially popular festivals – writing, directing and production workshops and created numerous “matchmaking” platforms. This logic creates a priceless dynamic. It also builds, on the long run, an industry…
2-
I realized something flagrant during Thursday’s meeting: the fact that no one mentioned what I think is the major problem in Arab Cinema in general, and in Lebanon in particular: screenwriting. The problem was mentioned vaguely a couple of times, but should be, on a later stage, assiduously developed.
Most of Lebanese filmmakers have a tendency to jump into the making of their project before reaching a solid version of their script.
Blaming international commissions, regional distributors and the Lebanese government is unnecessary. It’s wasted energy. Learning to write a readable and original script is, in my humble opinion, much more important. The reason why most of the Lebanese (and foreign) projects fail is often linked to a fragile script. If the Lebanese cinema world wants to win the bet of “producing in Lebanon”, I think this factor should become a priority.
Screenwriting should be taught much more seriously in Universities and real and regular screenwriting workshops should be created. By the way, I salute the Lebanese Cinema Fondation who created, not long ago, a screenwriting workshop. I think the Fondation should be encouraged [and maybe even other organisms] to push this project even further, but also inform young talents more efficiently about the existence of these initiatives.
I would also like to point out that in parallel to screenwriting, young talents should know how to create a selling presentation file. Numerous people still don’t know how to write a synopsis, a director statement or even a biography.
3-
I am personally tired of hearing the famous words “there is not money for Lebanese Cinema” and “we struggle too much to make films”. I think that filmmaking is a risky business, that everyone has to struggle to make it happen and that everywhere in the world the risk is the same. I do not want to count on the Lebanese State. The government is drowning enough in its own moving sands for me to allow myself to waste time in useless hopes. Of course, I hope that one day a National Fund would be created to develop the cinema industry, but I would not bet on it.
I think it would be judicious for the time being to develop matchmaking platforms so Lebanese directors, screenwriters and producers could be put in contact with international producers and “middlemen” who would help them in elaborating the right strategy for their projects. Because, let’s face it, one of the most recurrent problems of Lebanese projects is that they lack strategy, which leads filmmakers to seek improbable private sponsors.
4-
I also felt a latent tension between two groups: a group which feels it belongs to a “quality cinema”, that advocates the virtues of an European method and defend “auteur films”, and another which consider itself belonging to the world of mass entertainment, American style. The debate didn’t really have the time to start, but I think a cold war has started, without anyone admitting it yet. It’s a debate as old as cinema itself. It takes all kinds to make a world, and the fact that viewers now have the choice between “auteur films” and a purely commercial cinema is, in my opinion, very healthy. I think that, on the long run, these two cinema visions should not make war but take into consideration that they do not fight on the same grounds. Note, by the way, that there are several degrees of possibilities between those two extremes and that there is a way to make intelligent films that are accessible to a mass audience.
5-
Another thing that stroke me: the aggressiveness towards Lebanese cinema owners. Several people criticized the fact that cinema owners don’t encourage Lebanese Cinema. Local owners – alike international cinema owners in general – think in terms of free market economy. They want to sell as much tickets as possible. It’s normal. And I don’t think it is worth criticizing that attitude. I do not wish to defend this vision in general, but I don’t think they are the bad guys. I totally understand the logic that leads a cinema owner to priorities Transformers 2 over a Lebanese film that, four times out of five, is not likely to reach more than 20.000 entries, even if it’s kept in the theaters for a whole year.
I think Lebanese producers and directors should play the market’s game as the international distributors and producers do, whether they are betting on a “commercial film” or on an “auteur film”. Trying to deny the market reality is useless. Players should know the market, know their target and play the game accordingly. Producers of “auteur films” in Europe usually know that they can’t really fight against an American blockbuster and that they can’t win the competition in national multiplexes. However, they have alternatives, independent theaters which promote this kind of cinema. I find that the Metropolis theater plays that role beautifully in Lebanon. Maybe it is not enough and maybe other alternative theaters should be created, I don’t know… but I know it is useless to expect Planète, Empire and other circuits to play the part of the promoters of Lebanese Cinema. This will simply not happen.
It is an extremely vast subject. I just wanted to share with you these thoughts.
I wish you all good luck in all your projects.
Gilles Tarazi
A FEW PERSONNAL IDEAS. MY REACTION TO THE MEETING REGARDING FILM PRODUCTION IN LEBANON, WHICH TOOK PLACE AT THE FRENCH INSTITUTE ON THE 6TH OF SEPTEMBER 2012.
Dear film professionals,
First of all, I would like to congratulate Pierre Sarraf and the French Institute for this well organized and essential event.
For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself briefly: I’ve been working on Lebanese films for ten years now, mostly as an assistant director, I directed a short film Bukra sette w noss/ Tomorrow, 6:30, and I am actually developing a feature film.
What I am about to say is just my personal opinion, a few ideas from a fellow film professional.
I was amazed by the keen interest sparked off by this event and by the presence of almost all the key players working in the very peculiar world of Lebanese cinema. The event revealed a very important element: the professionals’ undeniable will to create a viable industry and to put an end to our sector’s “poverty”.
As Pierre Sarraf underlined it from the start, the number of films produced in Lebanon is raising. The desire to make films as well. Today, there are new players in the Lebanese cinema’s landscape, new tendencies, but mostly new visions regarding cinema and the way to make it. For example, a strong will to develop a popular and commercial cinema.
I think this is very healthy. I also think Mr Bereyziat’s intervention was extremely necessary, and his presentation of the CNC (France’s National Cinema Center) simple but essential. Essential because many players of the Lebanese film industry [including me] have very little information on how the European film financing systems really works.
Here are the few ideas I would like to share:
1-
A young director or screenwriter who has a project is often blocked early on in the process because he seldom knows what to do with it. He doesn’t know on which door to knock. First thing to do, of course, is to find someone who is going to guide him through the process. But this is easier to said than done.
On the other hand, a young talent who has an interesting project rarely has enough information regarding the steps to follow to “start things up”. This information needs to be accessible to everyone interested in cinema, and centralized. A Lebanese CNC? Yes, sure, why not? But before even talking about creating a Lebanese Fund for cinema, we should think about the way to create a center that would gather information to which every Lebanese would have access.
In short, there should be an alternative to the usual mouth to ear process (ie some director hears that another got a writing development fund somewhere and decides to have a go). It doesn’t cost much… it only requires will.
Having participated two years ago in the Rawi-Sundance screenwriter’s lab in Jordan, I realized how much the Jordanian Royal Film Commission was active and efficient. In a country where the film industry is less developed than in Lebanon, where there are less productions and where technicians aren’t (yet) as experienced, the RFC has succeeded where Lebanese players haven’t: it managed to canalize the energy and talents and to centralize the information linked to cinema.
I am also thinking about organizations such as Sundance in the USA, or Raindance in London, that started – parallel to their exponentially popular festivals – writing, directing and production workshops and created numerous “matchmaking” platforms. This logic creates a priceless dynamic. It also builds, on the long run, an industry…
2-
I realized something flagrant during Thursday’s meeting: the fact that no one mentioned what I think is the major problem in Arab Cinema in general, and in Lebanon in particular: screenwriting. The problem was mentioned vaguely a couple of times, but should be, on a later stage, assiduously developed.
Most of Lebanese filmmakers have a tendency to jump into the making of their project before reaching a solid version of their script.
Blaming international commissions, regional distributors and the Lebanese government is unnecessary. It’s wasted energy. Learning to write a readable and original script is, in my humble opinion, much more important. The reason why most of the Lebanese (and foreign) projects fail is often linked to a fragile script. If the Lebanese cinema world wants to win the bet of “producing in Lebanon”, I think this factor should become a priority.
Screenwriting should be taught much more seriously in Universities and real and regular screenwriting workshops should be created. By the way, I salute the Lebanese Cinema Fondation who created, not long ago, a screenwriting workshop. I think the Fondation should be encouraged [and maybe even other organisms] to push this project even further, but also inform young talents more efficiently about the existence of these initiatives.
I would also like to point out that in parallel to screenwriting, young talents should know how to create a selling presentation file. Numerous people still don’t know how to write a synopsis, a director statement or even a biography.
3-
I am personally tired of hearing the famous words “there is not money for Lebanese Cinema” and “we struggle too much to make films”. I think that filmmaking is a risky business, that everyone has to struggle to make it happen and that everywhere in the world the risk is the same. I do not want to count on the Lebanese State. The government is drowning enough in its own moving sands for me to allow myself to waste time in useless hopes. Of course, I hope that one day a National Fund would be created to develop the cinema industry, but I would not bet on it.
I think it would be judicious for the time being to develop matchmaking platforms so Lebanese directors, screenwriters and producers could be put in contact with international producers and “middlemen” who would help them in elaborating the right strategy for their projects. Because, let’s face it, one of the most recurrent problems of Lebanese projects is that they lack strategy, which leads filmmakers to seek improbable private sponsors.
4-
I also felt a latent tension between two groups: a group which feels it belongs to a “quality cinema”, that advocates the virtues of an European method and defend “auteur films”, and another which consider itself belonging to the world of mass entertainment, American style. The debate didn’t really have the time to start, but I think a cold war has started, without anyone admitting it yet. It’s a debate as old as cinema itself. It takes all kinds to make a world, and the fact that viewers now have the choice between “auteur films” and a purely commercial cinema is, in my opinion, very healthy. I think that, on the long run, these two cinema visions should not make war but take into consideration that they do not fight on the same grounds. Note, by the way, that there are several degrees of possibilities between those two extremes and that there is a way to make intelligent films that are accessible to a mass audience.
5-
Another thing that stroke me: the aggressiveness towards Lebanese cinema owners. Several people criticized the fact that cinema owners don’t encourage Lebanese Cinema. Local owners – alike international cinema owners in general – think in terms of free market economy. They want to sell as much tickets as possible. It’s normal. And I don’t think it is worth criticizing that attitude. I do not wish to defend this vision in general, but I don’t think they are the bad guys. I totally understand the logic that leads a cinema owner to priorities Transformers 2 over a Lebanese film that, four times out of five, is not likely to reach more than 20.000 entries, even if it’s kept in the theaters for a whole year.
I think Lebanese producers and directors should play the market’s game as the international distributors and producers do, whether they are betting on a “commercial film” or on an “auteur film”. Trying to deny the market reality is useless. Players should know the market, know their target and play the game accordingly. Producers of “auteur films” in Europe usually know that they can’t really fight against an American blockbuster and that they can’t win the competition in national multiplexes. However, they have alternatives, independent theaters which promote this kind of cinema. I find that the Metropolis theater plays that role beautifully in Lebanon. Maybe it is not enough and maybe other alternative theaters should be created, I don’t know… but I know it is useless to expect Planète, Empire and other circuits to play the part of the promoters of Lebanese Cinema. This will simply not happen.
It is an extremely vast subject. I just wanted to share with you these thoughts.
I wish you all good luck in all your projects.
Gilles Tarazi
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Formation Access
Producteurs du Sud de la Méditerranée, participez à la formation Access !
Date limite de candidature : 20 octobre
Les producteurs de films de fiction ou de documentaires sont invités à envoyer leurs candidatures avant le 20 octobre.
Access est un programme de formation axé sur la production à l’ère
numérique. La formation sera notamment donnée par le biais d’un nouveau
module online utilisant une plateforme web, au travers de laquelle les
participants pourront communiquer avec des experts tels que Dionyssys
Samiotis, Diane Aractingi, Dima Al Joundi et Hala Galal via un logiciel
VoIP et des forums exclusifs.Les techniques de communication et de présentation constituent également une partie importante de cette formation, permettant aux participants de pitcher leurs projets devant les investisseurs et partenaires de manière claire et confiante.
À l’issue de la formation, un des participants sera sélectionné pour faire le pitching de son film à Medimed, un marché international du film documentaire.
Lors de l’édition 2012 d’Access, 24 producteurs de films de fiction et documentaires – provenant d’Algérie, d’Egypte, de Jordanie, du Liban, du Maroc, des Territoires palestiniens occupés, de Syrie et de Tunisie – ont pris part à la formation. L’une d’entre eux était Nadia Hotait.
« Le module online a été une expérience très enrichissante qui nous a permis de rencontrer nos tuteurs et nos conseillers online. Ça a été très utile pour faire avancer et améliorer mon projet documentaire, pour établir des nouveaux objectifs de production et décider des nouvelles stratégies. »
« J’aime spécialement les podcasts des agents de vente, des personnes qui travaillent dans la distribution et le financement dans la région de la Méditerranée »,
Access est géré par la Media Business School (Espagne) en collaboration avec le Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Art (Jordanie), Sud Ecriture (Tunisie) et APIMED – Association de producteurs méditerranéens indépendants (Espagne). Le programme est financé par l’Union Européenne à travers le programme Euromed Audiovisuel III.
Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez contacter l’équipe d’Access (access@mediaschool.org) ou visiter http://euromed.mediaschool.org
South Mediterranean producers, apply for training!
Submission deadline: October 20
South
Mediterranean producers who want to bring their feature or documentary
film projects to the international marketplace can now apply to Access 2013, the last of two nine-month training programmes.
Producers with a fiction or documentary film project are invited to send in their applications by October 20.
Access is a training programme that focuses on producing in the
digital era. It features an innovative online module using a common
web-based platform, via which participants can communicate with leading
South Mediterranean and European experts such as Dionyssys Samiotis,
Diane Aractingi, Dima Al Joundi and Hala Galal, through VoIP software
and exclusive forums.
Communication and presentation techniques are also a big part of this
training initiative, enabling participants to pitch their projects with
clarity and confidence to partners and investors.
At the end of the training programme, one participant will be
selected to pitch their film at Medimed, an international documentary
film market.
In its 2012 edition, 24 film and documentary producers, notably from
Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Territories of
Palestine, Syria and Tunisia, took part in the training. One of them was
Nadia Hotait.
“The online module has been a very enriching experience,” said the
Access participant. “Being able to meet up with our tutors and advisors
online [has] been very useful to keep [developing] and enhancing my
documentary project, to set up new production goals and strategies.”
“I particularly like the podcasts with sales agents, people working
in the film distribution industry, and in financing in the
Mediterranean,” she said.
Access is managed by Spain’s Media Business School in collaboration
with the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Art (Jordan), Sud Ecriture
(Tunisia), and Mediterranean independent producer association APIMED
(Spain). It is funded by the European Union through the Euromed
Audiovisual III programme.
For more information, please contact the Access team via email (access@mediaschool.org) or visit http://euromed.mediaschool.org.
Carthage Film Festival's Producer Network
Participez au Producer’s Network des Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage 2012
Date limite de candidature : 30 septembre 2012
Dans le but de soutenir et d’accompagner les réalisateurs et les producteurs arabes et africains porteurs d’un projet de long-métrage de fiction ou de documentaire en cours de développement, les Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage (JCC) 2012 ont mis en place le Producer's Network.
Le Producer's Network a pour objectif la présentation, sous forme de rencontres individuelles de 30 minutes, de projets de long-métrage arabes et africains en phase de développement, à des partenaires internationaux (producteurs, distributeurs, diffuseurs), en vue d’une aide à leur financement.
Le Producer's Network aura lieu les 20 et 21 novembre dans le cadre des JCC. 20 à 25 projets de long-métrages de fiction ou documentaires seront sélectionnés.
Le Producer’s Network s’adresse spécifiquement aux réalisateurs, auteurs ou producteurs originaires des pays arabo-africains.
Les réalisateurs ou auteurs désirant participer au Producer’s Network devront répondre aux critères définis par le règlement et soumettre leurs dossiers avant le 30 septembre 2012 selon les conditions exigées.
Le règlement de l’appel à projet et la fiche d’inscription sont téléchargeables sur le site web des JCC.
Take part to the Carthage Film Festival's Producer Network
Submission deadline: September 30, 2012
The
Carthage Film Festival (CFF) steering committee is setting up a
producer’s network with the objectives of supporting and promoting Arab
and African filmmakers and producers with long-feature fiction or
documentary projects in the development stages.
During two days, the Producer’s Network will present Arab and
African-long feature projects in one-to-one meetings to international
partners (producers, distributors, broadcasters) in order to involve
them in projects financing.
The Producer’s Network will take place on November 20 and 21 2012, during the Festival.
This call is open to filmmakers and producers, citizens of Arab and African countries or of Arab and African origins. A filmmaker can only apply for one project and a producer can apply for a maximum of two projects.
From the total number of applications, the selection committee of the
Producer’s Network will choose 20 to 25 projects, long-feature fiction
and documentary.
General rules and application forms are available on the CFF website.
Requests must be sent by email to Jcc2012@culture.tn
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Timlif Advanced Mediterranean and Arabic Movies Fund
CALL FOR PROJECTS:
TIMLIF launchs T.A.M.A.M Fund (Timlif Advanced Mediterranean and Arabic Movies Fund) in support of the Mediterranean region filmmakers !
To submit projects, or to get more information on T.A.M.A.M Fund, contact the fund coordinator: Ms. Intissar JBIHA -
ijbiha@timlif.com - 212 522 277 038
APPEL A SCENARIO:
TIMLIF, la fi liale médias de M2M Group (Bourse de Casablanca, Symbole M2M), annonce le lancement du fonds T.A.M.A.M (TIMLIF Advanced Mediterranean and Arabic Movies) dans une démarche d'appui aux cinéastes de la région méditerranéenne.
Pour soumettre des projets ou pour recevoir plus d'information sur le fonds T.A.M.A.M en général ou cet appel à projets en particulier, merci de contacter la coordonnatrice du Fonds T.A.MA.M.
contact : Intissar JBIHA, coordonnatrice du Fonds T.A.MA.M. +212 522 277 038 ijbiha@timlif.com
TIMLIF, la fi liale médias de M2M Group (Bourse de Casablanca, Symbole M2M), annonce le lancement du fonds T.A.M.A.M (TIMLIF Advanced Mediterranean and Arabic Movies) dans une démarche d'appui aux cinéastes de la région méditerranéenne.
Pour soumettre des projets ou pour recevoir plus d'information sur le fonds T.A.M.A.M en général ou cet appel à projets en particulier, merci de contacter la coordonnatrice du Fonds T.A.MA.M.
contact : Intissar JBIHA, coordonnatrice du Fonds T.A.MA.M. +212 522 277 038 ijbiha@timlif.com
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