The first documentary workshop organised by Valletta Film Lab will happen between Monday 18 and Saturday 23 March 2019.
Directors/writers residing in Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Moldova, Norway, Northern Ireland, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Scotland and Wales can apply with a project to participate in any of the workshops organised by the lab.
Applications for participation are now open. Deadline for submissions is Tuesday 15 January 2019.
At the end of the submission period, an independent panel of adjudicators appointed by Film Grain Foundation will select the projects that will participate in the lab based on the following criteria:
– the quality & originality of the screenplay or treatment;
– the promise & viability of the project;
The selection will be announced on 7 February 2019.
Workshop Programme
Participants will be split into groups where discussions will focus on the development of the projects submitted, the production plan, promotion and distribution strategies and pitching.
Apart from the constant mentorship of the tutors, the programme would also include a number of special guests and experts who will attend to meet individually with the participants and help them prepare a financial plan, schedule and other elements of the production strategy.
Following the workshop in Malta the tutors will continue offering online consultancy to the projects for up to a period of six months.
Participants at the workshop will later be invited to attend a major documentary market and will be assisted to meet with potential co-producers, financiers, sales agents and distributors to pitch their projects.
The name of the tutors and special guests leading the workshop will be announced after the first selection is published in February 2019.
All workshops will be conducted in the English Language.
Participation Fees
Applicants must participate in all training activities held and be ready to submit, when requested, any written material such as questionnaires and evaluation reports. Representative of the selected projects will be asked to confirm their participation within 3 days from date of notification. Participants are to pay participation fees within 15 days from confirmation date.
The participation fee for directors-writers from outside Malta is €1000 (exclusive of VAT). This fee includes accommodation at a three-star hotel in Valletta, full-board lodging and ground transportation.
Producers attached to the project can also attend the workshop for an additional fee of €250 (exclusive of VAT). This would provide producer a shared accommodation with director-writer, full board lodging and ground transportation.
Participants must pay all air-travel costs.
Many countries provide bursaries and scholarships for this kind of training so kindly consult your country’s film or culture agencies for more information.
The participation fee for Malta-based directors-writers or producers partners to Valletta Film Lab is €250 (exclusive of VAT). The fee for non-partners is €400 (exclusive of VAT).
This fee excludes accommodation and ground transportation but includes lunch and coffee breaks for up to 2 people.
In case of cancellation three weeks prior to the starting date of the program, there will be a 50% refund of the participation fees.
There shall be no refund in case of cancellation less than three weeks from the starting date of the program.
Venue
The workshops of Valletta Film Lab will be held at University of Malta’s Valletta Campus.
The Campus, housed in in the Old University Building, dates back to 1592 and serves as a prestigious setting for the hosting of international conferences, seminars, short courses and summer schools.
Further information
Valletta Film Lab is managed by Film Grain Foundation and is supported by Arts Council Malta through the Creative Industries Platform.
For any enquiries please email the foundation on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +356 2713 3081.
