The Maisha Lab
has announced its next Screenwriting laboratory to be held in Zanzibar during
ZIFF 2015 18-25th July. Applications for the competitive laboratory
are now open and the deadline is 13th June.
The laboratory
has been one of the most influential film training grounds inspiring hundreds
of East African filmmakers with over 1000 participants said to have already
been through the training.
The Program
Director of the Kampala base film lab, Fibby Kioria said that they expect to
award 60 scholarships in total each year for the next three years to
participants from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya. This has been made possible with funding from
Stichting Doen.
“In 8 days, the 60 selected participants (15 in each country) will work with
internationally renowned mentors to refine their work and broaden their
horizons on the film business and the art of filmmaking” she commented adding,
“The winning script will receive an award of $ 5,000 to produce their short
film”.
This is a
seventh lab to be held in Zanzibar and ZIFF is the local partner utilizing the
festival event to encapsulate the spirit
of the training by offering a valuable platform where screenwriters can watch a
wide diversity of films and engage in discussions with other local and
international filmmakers attending the festival.
However the
Festival Director Prof Martin Mhando has been quick to plead that Zanzibari
screenwriters need to take advantage of the lab being held in Zanzibar.
“In the past labs
participation by Zanzibari based screenwriters has been very low, and yet we
know that the need is great. More important these are fully funded and
competitive laboratories which add to the participant’s skills, knowledge as
well as allow developing networks in the film industry”.
One of the
biggest criticisms of the Bongo movies industry is the weak scriptwriting
skills. Linear stories and underdeveloped plots and characters are the bane of
the film industry in Tanzania and it is labs like these that develop this
capacity.
ZIFF will be ready to support
Zanzibari filmmakers intending to apply with their scripts to ensure they
present them in the right format and the improve their chances of being
selected. We offer explanations in Kiswahili. Intending Zanzibari participants
are asked to contact the ZIFF office by emailing ziff@ziff.or.tz and the Maisha lab’s Call for
Screenwriters at www.maishafilmlab.org .
Fully completed applications are to be
emailed to please submit the
application requirements detailed below via email to: fibby@maishafilmlab.org
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