Apply : WarshatAflam / The Aflam Workshop

Short and Medium – length writing workshop (fictions and documentaries) 2019/2020

Overview

Created during the 4th International Festival of Arab Cinema in November 2016, WarshAflam/The Aflam Workshop is a scheme set up with the support of the CNC’s (Centre National du Cinéma) Short-Film Talent program and the Region Sud annual program supporting young artists.

Its purpose is to select and support promising young talents for the film industry. The scheme is aimed primarily at young people under 30. It is to be noticed that the workshop is not eligible to young people who have studied cinema at university or cinema schools.

In accordance with Aflam’s general project, one of the workshop’s specificities is to target young filmmakers from South and North of the Mediterranean area. Therefore, each session gathers 2 young filmmakers from the Region Sud and 2 others from Arab countries.

The projects sent to Aflam (short and medium length films, fictions or documentaries – see the call for applications) will be studied by industry professionals (directors, screenwriters, producers). Together with Aflam, they will select four candidates. They will then support and supervise the selected candidates, helping them to develop their film projects.

The support will take the form of mentoring: the experienced filmmakers will help the young ones to find their voice and their own path in order to professionalize their projects in order to present them to producers.

WarshatAflam/The Aflam Workshop is part of the Rencontres internationales de cinéma program, a festival organized by Aflam (the next edition will take place in April 2020) and dedicated to Arab cinemas, where we focus on creating exchanges between filmmakers of different ages and backgrounds. During this festival, all of them are invited to take part in the discussions after the screenings as well as during thematic professional meetings. WarshatAflam’s second session will thus take place during the festival allowing the selected candidates to attend this event.

WarshatAflam 4 process (2019-2020)

First stage – Remote monitoring –

Starting the October 15th, after having selected the projects, each chosen candidate will be followed up by a mentor. The mentor will contact the candidate in order to begin the first stage of his work (mails and phone appointments) and to guide him/her through the development of his/her project.

Second stage – The 2019 residence –

It will take in place Marseille during the first week of December, over a period of 5 days. The four selected candidates will be gathered for an intensive working program, including both individual and collective sessions with their respective mentors. Furthermore, they will have the opportunity to attend several masterclasses about screenwriting : according to the evolution of their projects.

Third stage – Remote monitoring –

The mentors keep in touch with the participants and carry on ensuring the good development of the projects they are responsible for (mails and phone calls).

Fourth stage : Second phase of the residence and conclusion of the workshop – 7 up to 10 days in April 2020 (precise dates and duration to be confirmed).

The selected candidates will be gathered again in Marseille before and during the 7th edition of the Rencontres internationales de cinéma. They will attend again a series of workshops, alternating between individual and collective working sessions as well as masterclasses. The main objective of the workshop for them is to be able to present their projects (in the form of conversational continuity or projects developed enough to an audience of producers and professionals). Concurrently to the festival, participants are also invited to attend to professionnal pitch sessions of the Mediterranean co-production workshop held by « Meditalent* ».

*« Meditalents » is a partner association which organizes several feature screenwriting residencies for directors from the North and the South of the Mediterranean every year in Marseille and in various Euro- Mediterranean cities.