Doha Film Institute has opened submissions for filmmakers and screenwriters to take part in its Hezayah Screenwriting Lab organized in collaboration with the TorinoFilmLab.
Aimed at nurturing film talent, with a focus on script development, the Hezayah Screenwriting Lab enables participants to broaden their industry relationships, while finding their unique personal voice as film writers. Applications are now open for participants from Qatar and the region, who will be mentored by experts from the TorinoFilmLab.
Applicants will be selected based on the strength of their script idea, writing ability, vision and approach, and previous works. Short-listed candidates will go through a selection process to assess their potential to expand and develop their ideas into interesting and compelling content.
There will be four sessions of four days each at this year’s Hezayah Screenwriting Lab, which runs over a period of six months. The first workshop will be held from May 6 to 9, followed by sessions from Aug. 24 to 27, Oct. 26 to 29, and Jan. 11 to 14, 2018.
Fatma Al-Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “The Hezayah Screenwriting Lab is an important talent development platform designed to enhance the skills of the creative community, and enable emerging and aspiring filmmakers to develop high quality scripts under the guidance of international experts.
It is a truly transformative experience for participants as they can discuss their projects with script professionals, and develop compelling stories that will make for powerful films. We believe that such initiatives are important for the advancement of the local and regional film and media landscape, as they nurture upcoming talent and support their ambitions of telling stories authentic to their cultures.”
The mentors of the four sessions are Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten and Antoine Le Bos.
Swedish screenwriter Marietta is a member of the Swedish Drama Union and the European Film Academy. Since 2007, she has been connected as a script consultant with TorinoFilmLab, Binger Film Lab and the Venice Biennale College Microbudget Lab.
Le Bos is a French screenwriter and script consultant. After writing and directing award-winning short films and on-stage experiments, he co-wrote the 3D animated series Ratz, and worked in cinema with various directors.

Source: Arab News