Cinephilia inspire residency

Cinephilia INSPIRE Residency (CIR) is a program launched by Cinephilia Productions in 2016 in New York City. CIR aims to provide an inspiring program and an evaluative time for career and emerging screenwriters and film directors from the Middle East and North Africa to pursue their individual practice and profit from the inspiration found in the diverse cultural landscape of New York City. CIR is designed for screenwriters and film directors working on developing their first, second or third fiction or documentary feature film project…

Duration: 2 weeks
Location: New York City, USA
CIR schedule: September 15-30, 2017

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN. 

Regular deadline: May 15, 2017
Late deadline: June 15, 2017

Cinephilia INSPIRE Residency (CIR) is a program launched by Cinephilia Productions in 2016 in New York City. 

CIR aims to provide an inspiring program and an evaluative time for career and emerging screenwriters and film directors from the Middle East and North Africa to pursue their individual practice and profit from the inspiration found in the diverse cultural landscape of New York City. 

CIR is designed for screenwriters and film directors working on developing their first, second or third fiction or documentary feature film project.

Residents are offered a number of consulting sessions with prominent industry professionals ranging from script doctors, producers, directors and distributors. 

Residency offers

• Full Accommodation (a private room in a shared apartment.)
• Partial travel cost up to $400 (USD) (Economy class return tickets vary in price depending on the city of departure.)
• One-on-one session(s) with professional script doctors
• One-on-one session(s) with independent producers
• One-on-one session with a distinguished film director 
• One-on-one session with film distributor
• Meetings with industry professionals (depending on the project needs and status)
• Screening of residents most recent work or a retrospective of past works + panel discussion
• Facilitating engagement with local film community in New York City and amplifying networking opportunities
• A detailed program of inspiring cultural and art events taking place in the city
• 2 weeks unlimited metro card
• A precious notebook dedicated to your imagination
• Selected filmmakers will be welcomed to Cinephilia family as new fellows. Cinephilia provides continuous support during and after CIR. 

Cinephilia Productions does not offer a stipend. 
Cinephilia does not cover travel insurance and visa costs.
We require residents to purchase travel insurance that covers their entire stay. 
Upon request, Cinephilia Productions can provide an official invitation letter to facilitate the visa process. 

If residents wish to stay in NYC more than the 2 weeks period of CIR, residents are fully responsible to cover their own costs of accommodation.

Eligibility requirements

• Career and emerging screenwriters and film directors are welcome to apply. (Screenwriters working on literary adaptations must provide rights clearance documents. Film directors can be screenwriters-directors or working on directing a screenplay written by a screenwriter.)
• Must be a citizen of one of the eligible countries (See list of eligible countries below). Applicants may be living anywhere around the world. 
• Must be in development of their first, second or third feature film project, fiction or documentary. (Experimental films are not eligible.)
• Must have a proven track record of work such as previous short films, feature film or produced screenplays
• Must be over 25 years old
• Must have valid passport
• Must have good command of English language
• Collaborative groups must present a single application and if selected, residency will only be provided to one individual in the group.
• Producers are not eligible to apply. 

Eligible countries 

Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates & Yemen. 
** Documentary projects from Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan & Afghanistan are eligible to apply (narrative projects from these countries are not eligible). 

Expectations

Every screenwriter and film director has a very different approach when it comes to revising their work and as we understand the process carefully, we do not expect from residents to finish writing a new draft or to make immediate progress. We know that being in a new place and benefiting from the experience of being exposed to a new culture will enrich your creative process. We aspire to inspire you.

The program and schedule is designed with the utmost flexibility that allows residents and consultants to work in a friendly manner and tackle the sessions from a productive approach. Our consultants are all working industry professionals and their busy schedules may prevent them from conducting in person sessions. In this case, some sessions might be conducted over Skype.