CLOSE UP
Workshops 2019-2020
July 24, 2020Workshops 2020-2021
AFTER A VERY COMPETITIVE SELECTION PROCESS, 16 POWERFUL DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS WERE SELECTED FOR THE 2020-2021 CLOSE-UP PROGRAM!
The projects were selected amongst more than 80 Applications from all across the Middle East & North Africa, including: Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kurdish-Turkish, Kurdish-Syrian, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey & UAE.
We would like to thank all the filmmakers that apply, they all faced tremendous competition!
The first 2020-2021 CLOSE-UP workshop
ended successfully on Thursday December 17th !
Our 22 selected filmmakers from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Turkey & UAE, worked intensely with the Close-Up team & mentors John Appel, Bruni Burres & Gitte Hansen, on the development of their written proposals, visual materials and trailers.
They were all asking fascinating questions on story, characters, cinematic vision, & storytelling. The filmmakers worked hard to break through their artistic challenges.
Besides the group and one on one sessions with the mentors, they attended a lecture on Storytelling by John Appel who shared excerpts from different documentary films.
In addition, we had a fascinating discussion with Aboozar Amini from Afghanistan who participated in our program a few years ago with his Award-Winning film “Kabul, City in the Wind”. The filmmakers were inspired by the conversation with Aboozar, who like them, started to develop his film as just an idea back in 2016, completed the film and received prestigious international awards. Aboozar shared his artistic challenges making this film, from a written idea to a successful film internationally.
The next day the filmmakers attended a lecture by Hans Robert Eisenhauer, Close-Up’s Special Expert. Hans Robert spoke about the written proposal & trailers and shared examples on production packages including trailers created by various emerging filmmakers from the MENA region and around the world.
On the last two days of the workshop the filmmakers presented their project and visual material to the whole group and received constructive feedback from the mentors & team. The workshop was concluded with concrete assignments each filmmaker received to be completed in the next coming weeks.
We have an amazing group of talented filmmakers, who are all excited about the opportunity to be part of the Close-Up program & family. They all share that besides the exceptional professional opportunity they are excited about the interaction with colleagues from the MENA region. It enriches their experience as they discover how much they have in common and what a beautiful rich region they come from. It was very moving to listen to their beautiful feedback about our fantastic week together!
Our Second Workshop is scheduled for March 10th – 16th 2021.
We’re very happy to welcome our new mentor: Gitte Hansen!
Gitte replaced Hans Robert Eisenhauer who serves this year as Close-Up’s Special Expert.
Gitte is a consultant, tutor and EP in the international documentary industry and has served at more than 40 different regional and international events such as IDFAcademy and IDFA Summer School, Documentary Campus Master School, Baltic Sea Forum, Thessaloniki Doc and Crossing Borders. Gitte has executive produced more than 20 international documentaries for First Hand Films including series, TV documentaries and features such as Ambulance by Mohamed Jabaly and A Thousand Girls Like Me by Sahra Mani.
For more than 18 years Gitte worked for First Hand Films where she was deputy director and headed sales and acquisitions.
Gitte replaced Hans Robert Eisenhauer who serves this year as Close-Up’s Special Expert.
Gitte is a consultant, tutor and EP in the international documentary industry and has served at more than 40 different regional and international events such as IDFAcademy and IDFA Summer School, Documentary Campus Master School, Baltic Sea Forum, Thessaloniki Doc and Crossing Borders. Gitte has executive produced more than 20 international documentaries for First Hand Films including series, TV documentaries and features such as Ambulance by Mohamed Jabaly and A Thousand Girls Like Me by Sahra Mani.
For more than 18 years Gitte worked for First Hand Films where she was deputy director and headed sales and acquisitions.
The Second Online Close-Up Workshop successfully ended!
Our filmmakers have spent 7 intense and highly productive and challenging days full of learning and creative work!
The week started with 2 days of Editing Consultancy with four talented and prominent editors: Phil Jandaly, Nadia Ben Rachid, Giles Gardner and Joelle Alexis.
They discussed with the filmmakers their project’s developments in regards to storytelling, dramaturgy, character’s development and cinematic vision based on edited materials & written proposals that our filmmakers have shared with our mentors & editors in advance.
In parallel to these meetings, the filmmakers had the great opportunity to have one-on-one meetings on Financial Strategy with Producer and Close-Up Special Expert Hans Robert Eisenhauer.
He gave concrete feedback on the project’s development and discussed with them the potential of the projects for the international market.
In addition, he spoke about the strong selling points in term of Finance as well as who could support their projects. These meetings were followed by a group Lecture Hans Robert gave to all of us, discussing in-depth Financial Strategies in Documentary Filmmaking.
After working intensively all week, the filmmakers ended this 2nd Workshop with two days of Presentation in front of the entire group. They shared their visual materials and received feedback from the mentors, team and filmmakers on how to improve their projects.
In preparations for our Final Workshop & Pitching Forum scheduled for June 2020, the filmmakers are given specific assignments in regards to the edited materials & the development of the written proposal which the filmmakers will deliver in the next coming weeks.
In addition, next week, our filmmakers will be having a Masterclass by Nino Kirtadze and a Lecture on distribution by Gitte Hansen!
Additional inspiring activities are expected during April & May, stay tuned!
