FILM SPRING FESTIVAL for Young Filmmakers in Hel Peninsula

So far three editions of the Film Spring workshops were held during which filmmakers from four European countries (Finland, Germany, Norway and Switzerland) jointly produced 40-minute feature films based on scripts they developed online.

The Film Spring workshops serve to build Social network for filmmakers. Its website (www.filmspring.eu) was the platform for consultations and preparation work by the international team making the feature films. The success of the workshops so far — two 40-minute features completed and the third one in postproduction — prompted its organizers to set up a website facilitating the making of films while exploiting the possibilities offered by the Internet.

In developing the website we fell back on our experiences with the FilmSpringers working on their film projects.

Increasing numbers of young European filmmakers want to take part in our workshop. This year we will be hosting film artists from new countries: France, Poland and probably also Ireland.

Regrettably, the number of workshop participants is limited by the budget available to its organizers.

We have now come up with a new idea. This year, in addition to the Film Spring participants, we would also like to invite to Jurata on the Hel Peninsula in Poland all those who want to get in touch with young European filmmakers, who do not want to sit on their hands but get up and start making films. Painters have their “plein airs” at which they get together to paint their pictures and then spend evenings admitting and discussing each other’s work. With all the modern tools already available, filmmakers can now try and do the same. Is there any reason why we should not have a festival at which films are made rather than just screened?

All young, English-speaking filmmakers are invited to come to the Jantar Hotel in Jurata (Hel Peninsula, Poland) to the “Film Spring Open” festival (5–26 October 2008). Bring your cameras, your laptops with video edit software, your ideas for the movies you would like to make — and persuade friends who can be of any help to come along with you.

More information will soon be available on our website

Slawomir Idziak