MIDPOINT wraps its second Feature Launch module in Kaunas
- The second residential workshop took place from 3-9 May and included guest lectures by Christina Pelekani, Amanda Livanou, Gabriele Brunnenmeyer, Alessandro Gropplero and Marcin Luczaj
After its first module as an integral part of the Trieste Film Festival's When East Meets West industry section (see the news), MIDPOINT's Feature Launch travelled to Kaunas in Lithuania for its second residential workshop, which took place from 3-9 May.
Nine feature-length projects and three script-consultant trainees (for the full list, please click here) met up again after a break, during which they were busy writing and having online consultations with programme tutors. Group leaders Anne Gensior, Ivo Trajkov and Christian Routh continued providing guidance to the projects. Gyula Gazdag again acted as the script-consultant trainees’ mentor, and Feature Launch producer, tutor and head of studies Danijel Hočevar also came back on board, giving a lecture on European film financing sources.
“The second workshop was dedicated to the further creative and industry development of the projects,” says Hočevar. “In addition to further script consultations, to which we still dedicate an important part of the workshop schedule, plenary lectures and individual consultations on film financing, film marketing, film sales and festival strategies rounded off the remaining part of the schedule. The participants also discussed their pitching strategies, since they’ll be presenting their projects soon at Karlovy Vary.”
“We started the training of a new group of script consultants within Feature Launch in January of this year at Trieste," says Gazdag. "We are working with young screenwriters and film editors who are interested in script consulting. Our training consists of a combination of seminars, in-depth conversations with experienced and renowned script consultants from different European countries, and providing supervised, hands-on experience in screenplay development. The group is composed of carefully selected young professionals, and the results have been quite promising so far.”
As for the guest lectures, Gabriele Brunnenmeyer provided valuable advice in a talk entitled "How to Pitch Your Film - Six Questions for the Pitch", Christina Pelekani gave an introduction to film marketing under the title "Marketing Is Your Friend", Alessandro Gropplero emphasised the importance of networking in the talk "How to Make Friends and – Sometimes – Even Good Films", and Marcin Łuczaj introduced the participants to the international sales game with "Dos And Don'ts With Sales Agents". He also organised a case study on the lengthy production and sales process behind the award-winning Greek-Polish co-production Pity [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Babis Makridis
film profile] by Babis Makridis, together with the film’s producer, Amanda Livanou.
The final module of Feature Launch and the presentation of the projects will take place at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
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