Cultures d’avenir: A European Learning and Exchange Program

The program is made possible with the support of the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO). With a series of 3 workshops of 3 days each (in Berlin, Paris and Barcelona), the program invites young film-makers and audio-visual artists to rethink how artistic practices address and intersect with societal issues and how art and culture can play a role in approaching global contemporary challenges. During the course of this program, the four international art institutions are collaborating with a commitment to critical thought and experimental inquiry while providing their structural support and knowledge.

“Retelling the city” 

• This year’s edition will focus on the topic of cities, which from being the main scenario of freedom and modernity, have somehow become, in the imaginary, the hostile setup for contemporary life. Have cities become the worst of what globalization has to offer? Has the city as a paradigm become obsolete? Throughout history, the city has served as a place for survival and coexistence in the company of other people they don’t know, in a cosmopolitan spirit. It has been a space for freedom and autonomy, for establishing institutions and collective identities. Is it still the case today?

Purpose

• The program will concentrate on the medium/language of cinema: fiction or non-fiction films (movies, documentaries, experimental films, animation). By the end of the program, participants will be expected to have produced a 5-minute piece to be screened (not an installation). This short piece is not conceived as a finalized audiovisual production but as a tentative exercise of what a contemporary audiovisual essay on cities might be.
• The project will also be an opportunity for fifteen participants to form an international network of young film-makers and audio-visual artists. Over the course of the three workshops, they will have the opportunity to share their projects with other artists and reflect upon their own work. This collective process of critical thinking and learning will be accompanied by the support of a group of experts from different disciplines who will help them reflect on how their artistic approaches can be put into perspective in a meaningful way.

What does the program offer?

• The three on-site workshops will be held in Berlin (July 1-5, 2024), Paris (September 11-15, 2024) and Barcelona (November 19-23, 2024). Participants will have to commit to being there for the entirety of the three workshops, and will therefore have to be available for the mentioned dates.
• Each of the 3 sessions will offer an intensive program: a one-day masterclass with a film-maker, and 2 days of workshops with artists and thinkers. The purpose will be to nourish the artistic work of the participants with a dense exposure to different kinds of knowledge (the 9 days of masterclasses and workshops will therefore not be shooting or editing time for the short film).
• Travel expenses abroad (trips, accommodation, lunches and 1 dinner per session) will be covered by the organization and participants will receive a 2,000€ production grant.

Criteria

• Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old as of the beginning of the selection process (April 2024).
• Applicants must reside in France (including the overseas territory), Germany or Catalonia
• Participants will be expected to feel comfortable using English, as it shall be the communication language of the project.

For more information, visit CCCB.