Crossing Borders
THE EURASIA-PACIFIC DOCUMENTARY TRAINING
Crossing Borders is the new international training programme launched by Documentary Campus and the EDN – European Documentary Network in cooperation with GDA - the Guangzhou Documentary Association. It offers professionals and talented up-and-coming filmmakers from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region a unique opportunity to find their way into the international non-fiction market. Crossing Borders makes a call for submissions once a year and selects up to 15 authors, directors and producers to develop their documentaries for an international audience.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of Crossing Borders is to expand the European network to the Asia-Pacific region by exchanging experience and knowledge and by promoting cooperation and coproduction activity in the documentary film sector and to close the gaps in film and media education and training. The intention is not to compete with existing media academies, universities and training providers, but to augment their offers with specific vocational training in the form of this practically-oriented training programme.
Documentary Campus and the European Documentary Network are seeking collaboration with approved institutions, broadcasters, production companies and distributors. It is our objective to strengthen the international audiovisual sector and to further a well functioning and lively documentary film scene, whose experienced, creative documentary professionals will cultivate productive contacts not only in their respective country but also worldwide.
This project will bring together producers and filmmakers from both Europe and Asia, as well as trainers with professional experience from both of these regions, all of whom are highly motivated to collaborate with each other across national borders, and with the ambition of being able to enter each others markets both artistically and financially. Bringing these people together under the auspices of this project will not only enable them to meet with and understand the financiers and decisionmakers in the two large markets within which we are operating, it will also enable them to work closely with professionals who are in similar positions, in the territories within which they aspire to work. Only by bringing the members of these artistic and financial networks together in a context where they can learn and work together, will we be able to encourage and facilitate collaboration and coproduction between these two regions. Our workshops allow participants to get to know each other in a supportive setting, where they are both learning as well as helping each other. Previous experience from both EDN and Documentary Campus on a European level has proven time and again that this format works for creating new professional bonds.
WORKSHOPS
Crossing Borders consists of three workshops which provide good insights into the whole process of setting up international coproductions. Through one-to-one access to renowned professionals and trainers, they offer creative and practical support for every phase in the development of a project for the international market.
TARGET GROUP
We are looking for documentary professionals (authors, directors, producers) coming from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region who have experience in their domestic market but strive to work in the international field and make documentaries for an international audience.
