NEWS
Newsletter
If you are interested to get updates about CLOSE UP films, workshops and events around the world please sign up for our newsletter.
If you are interested to get updates about CLOSE UP films, workshops and events around the world please sign up for our newsletter.
We are extremely excited to announce our new collaboration with the wonderful radio and audio platform @helsinkiopenwaves ! All Close Up podcast episodes will be aired on Helsinki Open Waves from now on and all past & future Close Up podcast episodes will be accessible in this wonderful platform!
We are starting our collaboration by airing the First Close Up Podcast Episode titled “Ethics and Politics of Representation” on 30th May Tuesday at 16:00 CET / 10:00 EDT! The conversation will be aired live!
Link in our bio to listen to the conversation tomorrow!
The First Close Up Podcast Episode features a conversation between Close Up 2020-2021 cohort of filmmakers Jude Chehab from Lebanon and Ruzgar Buski from Turkey. The release of our podcast on Helsinki Open Waves platform comes in light of the much-anticipated world premiere of our dearest filmmaker Jude Chehab's debut feature documentary Q at Tribeca Film Festival on Friday June 09th and international premiere at Sheffield Doc Fest on Thursday June 15th! It is truly inspiring to hear filmmakers speak about all the challenges and complexities they experience as artists and the many ways they reclaim their own cultural and historical narrative through their films.
Helsinki Open Waves (HOW) is a translingual, non-profit, community-driven platform that encapsulates a network of trans-local radio and audio practices. Their goal is to create a multi-voiced shared space that is supported by contributors' participation. Within this platform, HOW explores and reimagines fresh strategies for a translingual society to oppose the hegemony of monolingualism.
We are so honoured to share this profound conversation which provides an open space for us all to join and to contemplate together with Jude and Ruzgar! ... See MoreSee Less
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We are thrilled to announce that Close Up project from the 2021-2022 cohort has been selected to participate at the wonderful @sunnysidedoc. This year, 42 projects from 23 countries will have the privilege to compete for the best pitch prize in seven different categories, and Life In The Shadows was selected as one of the six films for the "new voices" category.
Sunny Side of the Doc will take place from June 19 to 22, 2023 in La Rochelle, France.
Congratulations to Close Up filmmaker K.D. and producer Ilyas Yourish from Afghanistan on their selection for this wonderful industry opportunity! We wish them the best of luck! ... See MoreSee Less
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“Our project 40 YEARS OF SILENCE received incredible creative and strategic guidance from seasoned professionals… What makes CLOSE UP different from the others is the wonderful continued support even beyond the end of the programme"
40 YEARS OF SILENCE
@maythemridha (Director and Producer), Iraq
Close Up cohort 2019/2020 ... See MoreSee Less
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🎬 Lights, camera, action! 🎬 There has been a wonderful wave of world premieres by completed Close Up films over the past year!
BAGHDAD ON FIRE (Close Up 2020-2021) directed by @alazzawikarrar had its world premiere at @cphdoc in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2023.
Q (Close Up 2020-2021) directed by @judechehab will have its highly anticipated world premiere at the acclaimed Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in June 2023.
SAVOY (Close Up 2020-201) directed by Zohar Wagner won the Best Director and Best Editor Diamond Awards at the @jff_jerusalemfilmfest.
THERAPY (Close Up 2019-2020), directed by Zvi Landsman had it's world premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Award as well as the Grand Just Documentary Award at Movies That Matter Festival; and Best Israeli Film at DocAviv Film Festival.
The Close Up team is proud to celebrate the incredible achievements of our talented filmmakers, whose hard work and dedication have culminated in a remarkable series of successes and wonderful premieres across the globe!
If you want to become the next filmmakers making waves around the world with your documentary, apply to 2023-2024 Close Up Program!
🔗Link in bio to apply. ... See MoreSee Less
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Films that are developed in the Close Up program are invited to be pitched at prestigious film festivals and markets around the world including @cannes.docs, @efm_europeanfilmmarket, CPH:FORUM,HotDocs Forum, @sheffdocfest, IDFA Forum, @visionsdureel, @medimed_docmarket, @sunnysidedoc, Impact Days, DMZ Industry, @docedgefest, @docsbarcelona, @zagrebdox, and @fipadoc to name a few.
Many projects have received prestigious international support and grants after going through the Close Up program, including financial support from the @sundanceorg, @catapultfilmfund, @chickeneggpics, @idfafestival, @idfafestival, @hotdocs_, @berlinale, @dohafilm,AFAC, @swedishfilm, CNC and many more!
If you want your project to be supported by these prestigious international film institutions across the world, then hurry up and apply to the Close Up 2023-2024 program!
🔗Link in bio to apply. ... See MoreSee Less
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what a great chance !
Calling for Applications!
@idfafestival IDFA Bertha Fund Classic announced their applications with a deadline of June 10, 2023.
The flagship grant program supports documentary projects in development or (post-)production with a funding range of up to €7,500 and €25,000 per project, respectively.
The IDFA Bertha Fund is seeking creative documentary projects that use a strong visual approach to tell compelling stories and have the potential to reach a global audience, exclusively from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, or the Caribbean.
LIFE IN THE SHADOWS by K.D. and produced by Ilyas Yourish, a Close Up alumni project (2021-2022), has already been selected for this prestigious grant. Interested applicants can check out the link in bio to learn more and apply.
Best of luck to all applicants! ... See MoreSee Less
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We create crucial opportunities for Close Up filmmakers and provide a number of highly prestigious awards at Close Up Pitching Forum each year. We believe it is vital to the success of our filmmakers to provide them with additional opportunities to support the progress of their films!
The 2022-2023 Close Up Pitching Forum Awards include cash prizes, wonderful residency fellowships in USA and invitations to attend prestigious documentary markets and film festivals. We are happy to continue our fruitful collaboration with the @whickerawards in the UK, Docs Up Fund in France, @medimed_docmarket in Spain, @silversunfoundation Foundation in USA and @jbfc_pville Center in USA, @middleastnow.festival in Italy, @moviesthatmatterfestival in the Netherlands as well as establishing a new partnership with @iefta_org in Monaco.
In addition to the awards announced at the Pitching Forum, each year we select Close Up alumni projects to participate in prestigious film festivals around the world. Filmmakers are invited to present their work-in-progress materials in Florence, Italy at the wonderful Middle East Now Film Festival and invited to participate at the Rough Cut Service organised by the amazing @moviesthatmatterfestival in the Netherlands!
We are delighted to be collaborating with such strong international organizations that are deeply dedicated to supporting and nurturing original and innovative documentary cinema from Southwest Asia and North Africa. These awards and opportunities highlight our shared commitment to encouraging emerging filmmakers from our region to create outstanding films, as there continues to be a great need and urgency for support for our community of filmmakers.
Hurry up and apply to the Close Up 2023-2024 program if you don't want to miss out these wonderful opportunities! ... See MoreSee Less
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We are happy to announce the industry guests who are invited as panel members at Close Up Pitching Forum taking place on June 9th in Tbilisi, Georgia! We are excited to welcome industry leaders from highly prestigious international cinema foundations, festivals, and broadcasters. This year’s invited commissioning editors and panel members include:
Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen from IDFA Forum (The Netherlands), Alex Szalat from Docs Up Fund (France), Anne Grolleron from ARTE TV (France), Basil Tsiokos from Sundance Film Festival (USA), Claudia Bucher from ARTE G.E.I.E (France), Jane Ray from The Whickers (UK), Karen Sloe Goodman from Silver Sun Foundation (USA), Laura Longobardi from International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (Switzerland), Lianne Llewellyn from International Emerging Film Talent Organization (Monaco), Lucie Kon from BBC Storyville (UK), Margje de Koning from Movies That Matter Film Festival (The Netherlands), Mette Hoffman Meyer from The WHY Foundation (Denmark), Sergi Dolade from MEDIMED: The Euro-Mediterranean Documentary Market & Pitching Forum (Spain), Sophie Chegaray from France 5 TV (France)
All participating 2022-2023 Close Up cohort of filmmakers will pitch their projects and have in-person meetings with panel members in Tbilisi to discuss their projects in depth!
If you want to take part in next year's Close Up Pitching Forum and have the opportunity to meet with key decision makers and leaders from the international documentary industry, go ahead and apply to the Close Up 2023-2024 program!
🔗Link in bio to apply. ... See MoreSee Less
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“For me, Close Up is not only a great development program but much more. It's a family and a safe place to develop your project as a filmmaker. I definitely recommended it to every filmmaker"
KARRAR AL-AZZAWI (director), IRAQ
Close Up cohort 2020/2021 ... See MoreSee Less
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