24/03/2010

With the April 1 deadline just under a week away, up-and-coming filmmakers are encouraged to sign up for the annual, international JFF Talent Workshop (May 20-28), held during the Zagreb Jewish Film Festival (ZJFF), whose fourth edition will run from May 23-29.

The goal of the eight-day workshop celebrating cultural diversity and the universal language of cinema is to produce two low-budget digital shorts. Participants will further attend a series of lectures, film screenings and open discussions by eminent international film scholars and experts, including Croatian producer Branko Lustig (Schindler’s List, Gladiator), British editor Martin Brinkler (Sparkle) and Iranian-born Kayvan Mashayekh (The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam).

The theme of this year’s Talent Workshop is Extra/Ordinary. Screenwriters – and anyone with a “bunch of imagination” – can fill out the application form and send in their screenplay here.

Workshop attendees will be divided into two groups of six, comprising a director, scriptwriter, cinematographer, editor, producer and sound designer. Each group will be followed by a group coordinator and by an expert Creative Supervisor as it elaborates the screenplay, chooses a format, then films and edits the story.

Filming will take place over three days, using top ARRI equipment, and editing over two days at historical Croatian production company Jadran Film.

The final Workshop films will be shown May 29 at Zagreb’s Europa cinema as part of ZJFF closing ceremonies. A jury of festival guests and experts, including Croatian music star Damir Urban, will grade and rank the works, awarding the best one.