A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL
FILM AND VIDEO FOUNDATION (NFVF),
KWAZULU-NATAL FILM COMMISSION
(KZNFC), NATIVES AT LARGE IN ASSOCIATION
WITH JUNGLE WORKS
This is a call for young
filmmakers to apply for an opportunity to be considered for the Youth
Filmmaker Project 2016.
The Youth Filmmaker
Project is a valuable intervention by the National Film and Video
Foundation, to provide
recent graduates of film schools and tertiary institutions, particularly
those from historically disadvantaged
backgrounds, with an opportunity to make their first
professional fiction film
in collaboration with mentor/producers Ramadan Suleman, Neville Josie
and Bhekizizwe Peterson.
Based on the strength of
your submitted synopsis short listed candidates will be invited to an
interview. After the
interview process fifteen participants will be selected to join the story and
script development
workshops over a 6 months period. The six months involves working
independently and through
participation at the workshops. Attendance at all workshops is
compulsory. Finally ten of
the strongest scripts will be selected to go into production in 2016.
The successful projects
and teams will then be provided with a directing mentor and a
professional production
crew to shoot their film.
The story and script
development process will include 5 x 3 day mandatory residential
workshops between the
months of February 2016 and June 2016 with facilitators and mentors,
working on developing the
script with the participants. The process encourages writers to hone
their approach to story
and eventually direct their films or partner with a first time
director/graduate. During
the preproduction process, each director will also be provided with the
necessary tools to break
down scripts for camera as well as detailed strategies for extracting the
best performances from the
actors.
Natives At Large in
association with Jungle Works will produce the films.
The mentoring process will
continue during production, editing, post production to final delivery
of the film.
ELIGIBILITY
The applicant must meet
the following requirements:
1. Have graduated from
university, film school or a tertiary institution no more than five years
ago.
2. Have studied in one or
more disciplines or have experience including (but not exclusive to):
writing, directing,
editing, cinematography, producing, performance, visual art, photography or
any other relevant
subject.
3. Be a historically
disadvantaged individual as defined in the constitution of South Africa.
4. Be able to set aside
the requisite time over a period of 14 months to complete the programme.
5. Not older than 35
years.
6. Should not have made a
professional narrative/fiction film.
7. This is a funded
project so no payment is required.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Eligible candidates for
the project must:
* Submit a strong written
synopsis for a short (approx. 24 minutes) fiction film with a clearly
thought out premise or
controlling idea.
* Demonstrate a
familiarity with cinema, story telling, literature, performing and visual arts.
Familiarity with the tools
of scriptwriting including software will be an advantage.
* Demonstrate a
willingness and ability to work with others in pursuit of the same objective.
* Understand the value of
and is able to work under pressure and tight schedules.
Shortlisted submissions
will be invited to present their proposal in person.
THEME
"SA 2030"
The series of films that
will be produced need to be packaged as a cohesive series, and in order
to achieve this, we have
put forward a theme around which writers can submit their story idea for
a 24 minutes fiction film.
In an effort to avoid
stereotypical and clichéd themes, we want to explore current themes that
resonate with young South
Africans, themes that explore the values and expectations of South
African society today and
in the future. The overall theme for this submission speaks to the
future: SA 2030 ³We, the
people of South Africa, have journeyed far since the long lines of our
first democratic election
on 27 April 1994, when we elected a government for us all. We began to
tell a new story then. We
have lived and renewed that story along the way. Now in 2030 we live
in a country which we have
remade. Our new story is open ended with temporary destinations,
only for new paths to open
up once more. It is a story of unfolding learning. Even when we
flounder, we remain
hopeful. In this story, we always arrive and depart.² An excerpt from South
Africa¹s National
Development Plan¹s vision statement.
2030 is in the future but
a future that¹s not really far off it is a mere 15 years away. But as we
know from history and
experience much can change and much remains the same. The synopsis
of the story that you
submit must give a strong sense that it is unfolding in South Africa 2030.
The story can be hopeful
or pessimistic but should be driven by strong characters with clear
needs and wants. The
synopsis of your story and the ideas you present should also indicate that
you have thought about and
researched the subject matter.
There are many issues and
concerns related to the cultural, social, political, economic, gender,
technology and environment
among others that could be a starting point for your story but we
are interested in how you
imaginatively and creatively explore these concerns through a
characters journey in a 24
minutes fictional story located in South Africa 2030.
These are just some of the
ideas that can be explored with this theme. We believe there is a
multitude of stories that
can come out, but the ultimate goal is to make stories that will resonate
with audiences today, told
from a youth perspective and stories that we can recognize ourselves
in.
APPLICATIONS
All applications should be
able to provide the following documentation for
consideration:
1. Not more than a two to
three pages detailed synopsis for one 24 minutes film. DO NOT
SUBMIT SCRIPTS
2. A covering letter with
a strong motivation stating why you want to participate in the project.
3. CV and certified copy
of ID document.
CLOSING DATE EXTENDED
The extended closing date is the 26 January 2016.
All applications must be
submitted electronically to yfilmproject2016@gmail.com by the
extended closing date. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
All enquiries must be
directed to:
Natives At Large
Nonkululeko Dube: 011 782 1552 /1453
NFVF Xolelwa Mayatula
(Production & Development Coordinator): 011 483 0880
