Deadline: January 31, 2017
Following the
success of the inaugural scriptwriting residency, Realness has announced the
call for submissions for the 2017 edition.
Realness is a
pioneering residency that provides filmmakers with the opportunity to hone and
develop their creative scriptwriting skills. It serves to address the need for
promising African film projects to be supported in their development phase to
be able to realistically compete in global film markets.
This year five
filmmakers - Amirah Tajdin (Kenya), Hiwot Admasu (Ethiopia) Luck Razanajaona
(Madagascar), Sheetal Magan (South Africa) and Wim Steytler (South Africa)
spent six weeks at the Nirox Artists’ Residency in the Cradle of Humankind
under the mentorship of script consultants Selina Ukwuoma and Nadja Dumouchel,
including attending the Durban FilmMart and Talent Campus at the Durban
International Film Festival.
“The success of
this residency is not only evident in the encouraging feedback from the
participants, who welcomed the opportunity to be in a quiet headspace to tap
into their creative sources, but it is also evident in the numerous awards they
have received and the progress made following the residency,” explains Elias
Ribeiro, Creative Director of Realness. “Luck, for example, had a project
selected for the Durban FilmMart prior to the residency, where we met and
worked with participants as a precursor to programme. Here he walked off with
awards from CineMart (International Film Festival Rotterdam) and the
International Organisation of La Francophonie to further develop his script.
Hiwot has since won an award to participate at another residency programme in
Switzerland, the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, and two of the
projects have signed co-production agreements since completing the residency.”
As a result of the
Realness programme, Ribeiro has been invited to present the initiative at five
major international festivals since starting it earlier this year, namely
Berlinale, Cannes, Locarno, Venice and Torino. “The continued interest is very
encouraging and serves as a platform for the residents to maintain the momentum
towards getting their films made. We have structured Realness in a very
holistic and strategic way, engaging with heavy-weight partners and advisors in
developing the framework for the programme. It is rewarding to see the genuine
interest in developing synergy between African cinema and the rest of the
world.”
Amirah Tajdin said
“Realness made me realize that…time and space really does make all the
difference during script writing.” Wim Steytler said that Realness gave him the
courage to “throw my script and 8 months of work into the bin. I gained
important insights into how to take my story from decent to good. After
Realness my goal is to take the project from good to great.”
Realness has
announced that the partnerships established in 2016 will continue into the
second edition, which means that the 2017 residents will also have the
opportunity to further develop their projects through the awards offered by the
Durban FilmMart, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Torino Film Lab, Midpoint, EAVE
and La Fabrique des Cinema du Monde.
The submission
window closes on January 31, 2017:
Applicants must
submit ONE PDF dossier containing:
•a motivation for
wanting to participate in REALNESS (1 page)
•a synopsis of the
proposed feature project (1 page)
•a narrative
treatment of the proposed feature project (6 pages)
•a draft of the
screenplay (if available)
•a writer's note of
intention (1 page)
•a short biography
(1 paragraph)
•two links to
samples of previously produced work, uploaded to vimeo. If selected, residents
will be required to donate one copy of their previous work to the Nirox film
library.
The call is open to
screenwriters from across the African continent and selection will be based on
artistic merit. Realness will hold no legal claim over the work once the
residency is completed.
All submitted
material must be in English. A committee appointed by the Realness team and
their partners will read the project entries and conduct interviews with a
shortlist of candidates in April. The Realness selection will be announced at
an event hosted by the pavilion Les Cinemas du Monde in Cannes, 2017.
Dossiers must be
submitted to realness@urucumedia.com
For further
information and to download the application form go to www.urucumedia.com/realness
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