Ausschreibung Campus Latino

Documentary Campus and the Goethe-Institut Mexico have set up a joint training programme for talented and experienced filmmakers from Latin America who do not have sufficient access to the international market.

What is CAMPUS LATINO?

By cooperating with existing local and regional institutions, festivals and media events, the programme’s objective is to create a high-quality training for the emerging Latin American documentary market that supports projects on a long-term basis, ensuring their quality and increasing their chances of being coproduced, while promoting regional integration.
 
How it works…

In its first year CAMPUS LATINO has a special focus on Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. Filmmakers from the following countries are invited to submit their project ideas:
 
CENTRAL AMERICA
Belize | Guatemala | El Salvador | Honduras | Nicaragua | Costa Rica | Panamá
 
THE Caribbean
Cuba | Jamaica | Dominican Republic | Haiti | Trinidad and Tobago
 
MEXICO
 
Selected participants then attend workshops that offer insight into the whole process of setting up an international coproduction and cover topics, such as: how to develop your story, access the international market, pitch your project and distribute your finished film.
 
Objectives
• Train and professionalize local filmmakers to help them develop high-quality projects.
• Offer creative and practical support at every stage of project development.
• Be a platform to strengthen the documentary market in Latin America as a whole but with special emphasis in its first round 2017/2018 on Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico and thereby improving coproduction possibilities both in the region and on an international level.
• Attract international experts, financiers and producers interested in working in and with Latin America.
• Build bridges between countries to create a strong network of talent as well as connecting
  documentary filmmakers from all over Latin America with global experts.
An initiative by:







How to apply
Who can apply?

CAMPUS LATINO is looking for documentary professionals (directors, producers) coming from Central America (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama), and the Caribbean (Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago) and Mexico who have experience in their domestic market but strive to work in Latin America and Europe and are looking for an international audience. You can take part in the workshop as a producer or director or as a producer/director team. If you apply alone, you should be a citizen of one of the following countries: (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama and Mexico). If you participate as a team, one participant has to be a resident in these territories, the second team partner can also be from another country and/or from another continent.
 
We are looking for

• All types of creative documentaries (feature length or one-hour length) for festival and theatrical release
  or TV broadcasting. Television series are also welcome.  
• We are interested in those projects with great stories and characters that need additional development
   before starting financing and being presented internationally.
 
What to submit
When applying please send the following documents via email to Bettina Walter, Head of Studies at: b.walter@documentary-campus.com
 

Application Materials:  Logline 30-50 words 
Synopsis max. 600 words
Narrative Treatment max. 500 words
Visual Approach max. 400 words
Finance Plan (incl. status of confirmation) & Budget overview as excell
Finance Strategy max 250 words
Status of the Project max. 300 words
Short CV - director max. 200 words
Short CV - producer max. 200 words
Short self-presentation video stating your motivation to take part in the training
A trailer (1-3 min) and/or examples of previous work
Contact Person: Address, email and mobile phone 
All texts should be sent in one PDF (max. 1 MB). Please include 3 photos of the project.
 
IMPORTANT
 
All applications must be in Spanish.
All applicants may attend the workshop with one team partner maximum and at least one person from the project team must participate in all 3 workshops.
All video material must be submitted via link to stream or download.
Projects should be well researched and developed to a stage where a comprehensive synopsis, outline, initial budget and schedule are available. This will ensure the participants to benefit from the condensed workshop schedule to the full extent. Furthermore, a first short trailer version of the project should be available for workshop no. 1 at IFF Panama.
 
Selection

The participants of CAMPUS LATINO will be selected by a selection committee. In the final selection, an emphasis will be placed on the quality and creative and international potential of the proposed documentary film projects, and on the previous experience of the applicants themselves.
 
As soon as the selection of the CAMPUS LATINO participants is official, all applicants will receive an email telling them if their projects have been accepted or rejected. The applications and proposed documentary projects will be treated confidentially. All rights on the developed projects naturally remain with the participants.

Need more information?
Contact
Bettina Walter, Head of Studies:    b.walter@documentary-campus.com (Spanish and English)
Dorothea Schiebel, Management:  d.schiebel@documentary-campus.com (English)
 
Cost & Financing

There is no participation fee for the course. The selected participants will receive financial support for their airfares, accommodation and subsistence at each workshop. Further details will be confirmed asap.
 
Workshops & Experts 

Workshop #1:
IFF Panama 3 – 5 April 2017 | 3 days | 12 projects
 
For this initial workshop we will work together with experts from Latin America and Europe. The focus will be on storytelling, dramaturgy and script development. In addition we will give a first overview on regional and international funding possibilities, focus on international coproduction possibilities and work on a financial strategy. From the 12 projects, we will then select 6 projects with the greatest potential for regional and international coproductions to take part in the second workshop.
 
Workshop #2:
Mexico DOCSDF 12-21 October 2017 | 3 days | 6 projects
 
The 6 selected projects from the first workshop in Panama will work on the following topics with the help of international experts: story, finance plan and budgeting for international coproductions, project presentation, coproduction possibilities in Latin America, international coproduction law. Development of a trailer for the pitching at IFF Panama 2018 and the Dok.forum Munich in May 2018. Furthermore, individual meetings will be scheduled with international commissioning editors and experts.
 
Workshop #3:
IFF Panama, March/April 2018 | 3 days | 6 projects
 
At this third workshop, we will prepare pitch, trailer and project presentation material. The 6 projects will then pitch in front of a panel of decision-makersfrom Latin America.
 
Workshop #4:
DOK.fest & DOK.forum Munich May 2018 | 3 days | 4 projects
 
Projects with the greatest potential for international coproductions and distribution in Europe for festivals, cinema and TV will be invited to participate in a final workshop at the DOK.fest Munich, one of the most important festivals for documentaries in Germany, where a pitching will take place in front of commissioning editors from international television and distribution companies as well as other key players from the industry.

In a final workshop, experts will individually advise and train the participants for the pitching, one-to-one meetings and the follow-up. We have a special focus on production, distribution, sales & marketing strategies.

Head of Studies

Bettina Walter is a German producer with 15+ years of working experience and committed to producing documentaries for the international market from her base Barcelona.
Her films, such as FALCIANIS TAX BOMB, GOOGLE AND THE WORLD BRAIN, MY LIFE WITH CARLOS or THE DEVIL´S MINER were co-produced with leading international broadcasters such as ARTE/ZDF, BBC, SFR, RTS, TVE/TVC and PBS. They screened at festivals like Sundance, Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest and were nominated for and awarded with prizes worldwide, incl. the FIPRESCI, PBS Ind Lens, Prix Europa, the Grimme Prize and German TV Award.
Since 8 years, she has been a consultant tutor on documentary filmmaking, development, international financing and coproduction at the UB University of Barcelona, UAB Universidad Autónoma of Barcelona, ECIB & Filmakademie of Baden- Württemberg.

She has extensive experience in international coproductions, garnered by working with leading European production companies such as Gebrüder Beetz in Germany, and, in Barcelona, Diagonal TV-Endemol, Parallel 40, Polar Star Films, and Media Pro. 
Bettina possesses a strong network of creative and experienced screenwriters, film-makers, directors, producers, and distributors all over the world.  She has participated with her projects in the DOCUMENTARY CAMPUS MASTERSCHOOL and EURODOC.

Expert

Gema Juárez Allen is a producer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has produced over 15 documentaries and fiction films presented at the most important film festivals where they received innumerable awards. Among her recent credits are SOLDADO (Manuel Abramovich, 2017, Berlinale), OSCURO ANIMAL (Felipe Guerrero, 2016, Rotterdam), 327 CUADERNOS (Andres Di Tella, 2015, San Sebastian) and INVASION (Abner Benaim, 2014, IDFA). The films were financed and supported by The World Cinema Fund, Hubert Bals Fund, IDFA Fund, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance, Proimágenes, etc.
 
Gema has positioned herself as one of the most prominent Latin American producers, building lasting alliances with partners such as Majade Filmproduktion (DE), Viking Film (NL), Topkapi Films (NL), Lemming Film (NL), Boo Productions (GR), Sutor Kolonko (DE), WG Film (SE), mutokino (COL).
 
Gema Juárez Allen is part of the EAVE and EURODOC film professionals’ networks.