Application Deadline: April 2nd 2018
In June 2018, the American Film Showcase (AFS) will host 5-7 teams of emerging documentary producers and their filmmaker partners (10-14 participants total) from African countries (participants must be proficient English-speakers) for a six-day workshop focused on documentary film producing. Produced in collaboration with U.S. Consulate in Cape Town and the Encounters Documentary Festival (the oldest and leading documentary festival in Africa), participants will travel to Cape Town, South Africa to learn the ins-and-outs of producing a feature length documentary film with the support of American film experts. All costs related to the program will be covered by AFS. The workshop will be led by Roger Ross Williams and Heidi Fleisher.
Feature Documentary Film Producing Workshop Content
In this workshop, 5-7 pairs of one producer and one documentary filmmaker from the region will explore strategies and techniques for producing a feature documentary. With the guidance of the American mentors, the workshop will walk participants through such topics as international financing (both preliminary and production, as well as grants), creative producing, the role of the producer, distribution and sales (including emerging digital platforms), pitching, and film festivals. Mentors will also guide participants in making the right professional connections, taking full advantage of their presence at a major documentary film festival. There will also be opportunities for participants to view films at and spend time exploring the Encounters Documentary Festival.
Programmatic Goals
A primary goal of this workshop is to offer documentary producers and filmmakers in the region a more in depth knowledge base and understanding of the skills needed to produce a documentary film, from a film’s conception, to it’s completion, through its subsequent sale and distribution. A secondary goal will be to create a space for dialogue and collaboration among content creators from across the region who may be facing shared challenges.
Selection Process
All participants will come from African countries and must be proficient English-speakers. U.S. Embassies from Botswana, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe may nominate up to three teams of one emerging documentary producer and one filmmaker for the workshop. Interested teams within the Encounters Film Festival’s network are also welcome to apply. This workshop will be project-based, so potential participants should be nominated based on one specific project that they would like to discuss in the workshop. Ideal candidates are film producers and filmmakers who are in development for their first feature documentary film. They should have experience with producing at least one or two short documentaries in the past. Participants are expected to come to the workshop with a clear vision for a project they are hoping to produce and ideally, they will already have some footage to share.
All nominations should be submitted to: AFSEncounters2018@gmail.com
Selection Timeline
Submission Deadline: April 2
Final Participant Decision: April 20
Application Requirements
From Participants:
- Each team member’s resume / CV of no more than two pages and with contactable references.
- One-page personal statements including social themes of interest to participants. (One personal statement per team member)
- Links to past work,
- A treatment or outline of the project the participants are hoping to focus on in the workshop. No more than three pages.
- Any audio visual material related to the participants project.
For questions, contact:
- Steffan Horowitz – AFS Programming Coordinator: shorowitz@cinema.usc.edu
- Deborah Matthee – U.S. Consulate, Cape Town: MattheeDL@state.gov
- Tarha McKenzie – Encounters Documentary Festival Coordinator: AFSEncounters2018@gmail.com
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Feature Documentary Film Producing Workshop 2018