Aside from a diverse line-up of local and international documentaries, the 16th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival will offer a number of informative master classes and workshops, from 5 to 15 June in Cape Town.
The Al Jazeera Pitching Forum
This closed forum will feature 15 participating filmmakers pitching projects to Al Jazeera commissioning editors, Dominique Young and Darmuid Jeffreys, in front of an audience.
A day prior to the Pitching Forum, selected participants will have an opportunity to discuss their project with an experienced filmmaker at a pitching workshop in order for them to present a solid and thorough pitch to the panel. Once in front of the panel, they will have seven minutes to pitch their film, with an additional eight minutes allocated for feedback and questions.
Scoring Documentary
Philip Miller, a composer for feature film, television and theatre works; and Ben Ludik, who has composed scores for South African feature films Skoonheid and Die Wonderwerker, will present a master class on scoring documentaries. The session will be chaired by Dr Ian Rijsdijk, Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and will present a scene-by-scene examination of the inspiration, composition and development of supporting visuals with the power of music.
Date: 12 June
Time: 17h30 to 19h30
Venue: The Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Old Medical School Building on Hiddingh Campus, UCT
Ticket Price: R50,00
Final Cut for Real
Anne Kohncke, co-founder and producer at Final Cut For Real, a production company which specialises in high-end, creative documentaries such as The Act of Killing and The Pirate Bay: Away From Keyboard, will deliver a creative producing master class.
In the session Kohncke will discuss her collaborations with directors, the way in which she works with her production team in order to get a film up and running and how films are then launched on international markets.
Date: 14 June
Time: 10h00
Venue: Big Fish / The Foundry, 74 Cardiff Rd, Greenpoint
Ticket Price: R50,00
Long Distance Filmmaking
Rachel Boynton presents a master class on how she is able to gain access to the impossible as a contemporary documentary auteur.
Boynton draws on her experience on Our Brand Is Crisis, her multi-award winning first feature which was filmed over three years in two continents. Her film Big Men, executive produced by Brad Pitt, was shot in Africa and the USA and took seven years to complete.
The class will feature lessons on the practicalities of endurance and how filmmakers can keep a production alive through financing, collaboration and commitment despite obstacles they may face relating to time and locations.
Date: 7 June
Time: 10h00
Venue: Big Fish / The Foundry, 74 Cardiff Rd, Greenpoint
Ticket Price: R50,00
National Film and Video Foundation Events
The NFVF will host an industry engagement event as well as a session, In Conversations with …, featuring filmmakers who attended the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in Canada at the end of April.
Visit the Encounters website or email nerissa@encounters.co.za for more information.
