CINEPHILIA INSPIRE RESIDENCY 2017
This program is on hiatus.
2017 CIR RESIDENTS
"Lose Weight Now, Ask Me How" (Egypt)
Written & directed by Mohammad Shawky Hassan
Project Synopsis:
A man who has been struggling with weight throughout his entire life suddenly disappears. His absence reveals various narratives of his lifelong battle with heaviness and unfulfilled desire for lightness, as well as interpretations and fragments of his multiple lives, whose exact nature is not completely clear.
About Filmmaker:
Mohammad Shawky Hassan is a filmmaker living and working in Egypt. He studied philosophy, film directing and cinema studies at the American University in Cairo, The Academy of Cinematic Arts & Sciences and Columbia University. His films include It Was Related to Me (2011), On a Day like Today (2012) and And on a Different Note (2015), which premiered at the Berlinale Forum Expanded, and was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York as part of its permanent collection. He was the film programs director at ArteEast, and the director of the Network of Arab Alternative Screens (NAAS) from 2011 till 2016. He curated film programs at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, The New York Public Library, UnionDocs and Cimatheque – Alternative Film Center.
"Soora" (Iran)
Written & directed by Mina Keshavarz
About Filmmaker:
Documentary filmmaker and producer Mina Keshavarz was born in Shiraz in 1984. Since 2002 she has been working as a documentary filmmaker, journalist, and researcher. She is the co-founder of visual documentary magazine” From Tehran” and also the co-founder of a website on documentary film issues “Vamostanad" since 2009 in Iran. She has made several awarded documentary films on social issues which have premiered in IDFA, Thessaloniki, Sheffield, Tribeca Film Festival…
She established her documentary film production “ MinDoc Film Production “ in Iran in 2013 with the aim to produce creative documentaries with a focus on social, political issues with a critical approach. Mina produced her last film “Braving the Waves” in co-production with Norway and France granted by several funds like IDFA Bertha Fund and Sorfond. She has served as a jury member in national and International film festivals. Now she is working on 2 projects “ Far Away” directed by Amin Behroozzadeh and “Soora” directed by herself.
"The Sufi Circus" (Jordan/Palestine)
Written & directed by Deema Dabis
Project Synopsis:
The Sufi Circus follows the story of a Palestinian American Fire Performer Kareemah to her homeland of Palestine. As she attempts to perform with her circus troupe in the occupied West Bank, she meets her ancestry and parts of herself she didn’t even know she had buried.
About Filmmaker:
With a BA in Journalism and an MFA in Cinema from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, focused on writing and editing, finding unique ways of telling stories has always been a passion of Deema Dabis. She is currently working on a number of projects that include her feature script “The Sufi Circus” (formerly known as “Shake”) which went through Med Film Factory in 2014, RAWI in 2015, a scriptwriting residency with Beirut Film Station in 2016 and Cinephillia Shorts Lab in Rotterdam in 2016. Her short film “Shake”, has traveled to film festivals all over the world receiving an honorable mention at the Franco Arab Film Festival and Best Short Film award at Tripoli Film Festival. She is also producing “From the Mountain” a historical narrative film in development by director Faisal Attrache.
CIR 2017 CONSULTANTS
ANNA ROSE HOLMER is the 2017 Independent Spirit Award Someone to Watch winner and one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2015. Her critically acclaimed narrative directorial debut, THE FITS (Venice 2015, Sundance 2016), was released with Oscilloscope Laboratories in 2016 and nominated for Breakthrough Director at the 2016 Gotham Awards as well Best First Featureat the 2017 Independent Spirit Awards. She recently produced Mike Plunkett’s SALERO (IDFA 2015) and Jody Lee Lipes’s BALLET 422 (Tribeca 2014).
SHRUTI GANGULY is a filmmaker based in New York City. She has worked with James Franco and his Rabbit Bandini Productions for the past seven years, and has made several feature films that have gone to Sundance, Venice, Berlin, Telluride and AFI. She recently produced Through You, a narrative VR told through dance, which premiered at Sundance 2017. Shruti was a founding partner at Fictionless, a production company that focuses on branded content, narratives, documentaries, and TV series. Prior to Fictionless, she ran the video departments and developed the video strategy at NYLON, MTV, and Conde Nast (crafting the CLIO-winning 73 Questions series). She is currently producing a feature with Keanu Reeves, and a TV series called Girly with Refinery29 and EP Rashida Jones.
Shruti was a member of Obama’s ECCO committee of entertainment leaders last year and is on the Creative Council for Emily's List. Shruti hails from India, by way of Oman. Shruti received her Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, and was the first graduate of NYU's dual MFA/MBA program at Tisch and Stern.
KARIN CHIEN is a producer, educator and distributor committed to championing independent voices. Karin is the recipient of the Independent Spirit Producer’s Award, and the producer of ten independent feature films, including STONES IN THE SUN (2012), JACK AND DIANE (2012), CIRCUMSTANCE (2011), THE EXPLODING GIRL (2009), THE MOTEL (2005) and ROBOT STORIES (2002).
Her films have won over 100 festival awards, premiered at the Sundance and Berlin Films Festivals, been nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards and received distribution in over 30 countries. Karin is the co-creator of Cinema on the Edge, a new global film series celebrating uncensored cinema from mainland China.
Karin is the founder/president of dGenerate Films, the leading distributor of independent cinema from mainland China. Karin is also the creator of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Fellowship, a mentoring program for mid-career Asian American media makers. Karin is based in Los Angeles and teaches at Temple University’s Los Angeles film & media program.
MATT HARVEY (distribution consultant) works in acquisitions and production for Sony Pictures Classics.
Recent films he has been involved in acquiring include Paul Verhoeven's ELLE, Meera Menon's EQUITY, Lorene Scafaria's THE MEDDLER, Marielle Heller's DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, Damian Szifron's WILD TALES, and Damien Chazelle's WHIPLASH.
BRADD SAUNDERS (script consultant) is a screenwriter, screenwriting teacher, film director, playwright, published novelist, short story writer, and freelance journalist with an MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. His movie, The Lounge People, played in theaters internationally and on Comedy Central, and the Starz Network, and he currently has screenplays optioned and in development on two continents. His play, Detective Nicky Carruthers is Dead, garnered a national playwriting award from the University of Arkansas and was produced at the Powerhouse Theater, in Los Angeles. The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Annual Ball, was a semi-finalist at the Inner City Cultural Center’s theater competition in Los Angeles, and was produced at the Missing Children Theater in New York. He was a screenwriting teacher, at both the graduate and undergraduate level, at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California for twenty-three years and has worked online as a mentor and in workshop settings for Cinephilia Productions.
Currently, he is a screenwriting teacher and mentor to students throughout America at the Film Connection/Film Institute in Los Angeles, California.
WOMEN MAKE MOVIES
Established in 1972 to address the under representation and misrepresentation of women in the media industry, Women Make Movies is a multicultural, multiracial, non-profit media arts organization which facilitates the production, promotion, distribution and exhibition of independent films by and about women. The organization provides services to both users and makers of film, with a special emphasis on supporting work by women of color. Women Make Movies facilitates the development of feminist media through an internationally recognized Distribution Service and a Production Assistance Program.
CINEPHILIA INSPIRE RESIDENCY
This program is on hiatus.
Duration: 2 weeks
Location: New York City, USA
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
Cinephilia INSPIRE Residency (CIR) is a program launched by Cinephilia Productions in 2016 in New York City.
CIR aims to provide an inspiring program and an evaluative time for career and emerging screenwriters and film directors from the Middle East and North Africa to pursue their individual practice and profit from the inspiration found in the diverse cultural landscape of New York City.
CIR is designed for screenwriters and film directors working on developing their first, second or third fiction or documentary feature film project.
Residents are offered a number of consulting sessions with prominent industry professionals ranging from script doctors, producers, directors and distributors.
Residency offers
Full Accommodation (a private room in a shared apartment.)
Partial travel cost up to $400 (USD) (Economy class return tickets vary in price depending on the city of departure.)
One-on-one session(s) with professional script doctors
One-on-one session(s) with independent producers
One-on-one session with a distinguished film director
One-on-one session with film distributor
Meetings with industry professionals (depending on the project needs and status)
Screening of residents most recent work or a retrospective of past works + panel discussion
Facilitating engagement with local film community in New York City and amplifying networking opportunities
A detailed program of inspiring cultural and art events taking place in the city
2 weeks unlimited metro card
A precious notebook dedicated to your imagination
Selected filmmakers will be welcomed to Cinephilia family as new fellows. Cinephilia provides continuous support during and after CIR.
Cinephilia Productions does not offer a stipend.
Cinephilia does not cover travel insurance and visa costs.
We require residents to purchase travel insurance that covers their entire stay.
Upon request, Cinephilia Productions can provide an official invitation letter to facilitate the visa process.
If residents wish to stay in NYC more than the 2 weeks period of CIR, residents are fully responsible to cover their own costs of accommodation.
Eligibility requirements
Career and emerging screenwriters and film directors are welcome to apply. (Screenwriters working on literary adaptations must provide rights clearance documents. Film directors can be screenwriters-directors or working on directing a screenplay written by a screenwriter.)
Must be a citizen of one of the eligible countries (See list of eligible countries below). Applicants may be living anywhere around the world.
Must be in development of their first, second or third feature film project, fiction or documentary. (Experimental films are not eligible.)
Must have a proven track record of work such as previous short films, feature film or produced screenplays
Must be over 25 years old
Must have valid passport
Must have good command of English language
Collaborative groups must present a single application and if selected, residency will only be provided to one individual in the group.
Producers are not eligible to apply.
Eligible countries
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates & Yemen.
** Documentary projects from Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan & Afghanistan are eligible to apply (narrative projects from these countries are not eligible).
Expectations
Every screenwriter and film director has a very different approach when it comes to revising their work and as we understand the process carefully, we do not expect from residents to finish writing a new draft or to make immediate progress. We know that being in a new place and benefiting from the experience of being exposed to a new culture will enrich your creative process. We aspire to inspire you.
The program and schedule is designed with the utmost flexibility that allows residents and consultants to work in a friendly manner and tackle the sessions from a productive approach. Our consultants are all working industry professionals and their busy schedules may prevent them from conducting in person sessions. In this case, some sessions might be conducted over Skype.
HOW TO APPLY
Step 1:
Fill application form and pay application fee.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email shortly after.
Step 2:
Send by email the following required documents. Documents must be in English.
Make sure your documents are combined in one PDF file.
Your combined document should be titled 'Applicant name_project title'.
Email subject title: 'Application #_Applicant name'
A Statement of need: Why do you want to participate in CIR (maximum 500 words)
Treatment of maximum 8 pages
First 10 pages of the screenplay (documentary projects in development phase are not required to submit a screenplay. Only documentaries in production are required to submit the first 10 pages of the screenplay.)
For screenwriters only (if you are not the director of the project): 1 screenplay work sample (No more than 10 pages. Choose the 10 pages that best represent your work. They don't have to be the first 10 pages). This screenplay is a different screenplay than the one your are submitting to develop at CIR. This could be a produced or not yet produced screenplay. Alternatively, include links to produced screenplays.
List of 2 contact references - academic or professional - who know you and can speak to your commitment of developing new work. Please include full name, email and phone number.
Resume
Send your document to residency@cinephiliaproductions.com
Step 3:
All applicants will be notified by email.
Finalists must send the full screenplay draft within 5 days of finalist notification.
Finalists will be invited for a Skype interview with Cinephilia team.
Selection Process
Selection will be selected based on the originality of the proposed project and the strength of previous works.
Notification
Applicants receive an automated notification when their application is submitted electronically.
After sending all supporting documents via email, applicants have completed their application process.
Please do not email to ask whether your documents were received or not. If a document is missing, rest assured we will get in touch.
Notifications to all applicants will be sent via email after the selection panel has made its final decision.
Application feedback
Cinephilia Productions does not provide a feedback to applicants. However, we understand how important it is for your creative process to receive objective criticism on your work that contributes to your progress. Applicants have the option to receive a 2-page feedback on their project from the review committee for an additional fee of ($150). Please email Cinephilia with your request. (Subject: 'CIR Application feedback'). This request will only be taken into consideration within 2 weeks after selection announcement.
Application Fee
Regular deadline: $50 (USD)
Extended deadline: $65 (USD)
Application fee is non-refundable.
Payment is due at the time you submit your application electronically.
Applicants who wish to submit more than one project are required to fill a new application form and pay a separate fee for each application.
Application fee covers administrative expenses and costs for the review panel.
APPLICANTS WHO FAIL TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS WILL NOT BE REFUNDED THE APPLICATION FEE.