The Development Lab is tailored for emerging filmmakers from Central Asian countries who want to enhance their screenwriting and producing skills and establish new professional connections. The goal of the lab is to develop a film project for its further presentation to potential partners and international film institutions, as well as clients and producers in the region. The lab tutors are cinema professionals, ranging from directors of international festivals to successful producers, along with international experts such as Miriam Sassine (Lebanon), a producer at Abbout Productions, director, and mentor at the Doha Film Institute.
The Development Lab includes educational programs in two directions: the producers section and the screenwriting section. The producers section is dedicated to developing the project from concept to the full package of documents for seeking international and regional financing. The screenwriting section focuses on the comprehensive development of a full-length feature film script from the initial stage to the final text. The sections will operate simultaneously through three modules, with the first module scheduled in June in Bukhara (Uzbekistan), followed by the online module in August and the final module in October in Almaty (Kazakhstan).
The Development Lab is open to emerging filmmakers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan with full-length feature film projects in the early stages of development. Additionally, in each section spots are reserved for participants who do not yet have a film project, including creators from the fields of literature, journalism, playwriting, or vlogging who want to try their hand in the film industry. Such participants will collaborate on their colleagues' projects. A total of no more than 20 people (no more than 10 in each section) can participate in the lab. The program covers travel expenses and accommodation. Detailed eligibility criteria and projects’ requirements are available on the Alternativa Film Project's website.
The results of the Development Lab open call will be announced on May 16th, 2024.
The Development Lab is a division of Alternative Film Labs that offers free educational programs for filmmakers at various stages of their journeys—those who are exploring social issues in their countries, developing their homeland's film industry, and giving a voice to their local communities. In 2024, Alternativa Film Labs will once again be held in Central Asia, comprising three film laboratories: the Teen Lab (to be held in the summer in Tashkent), the Impact Lab (to be held in the autumn in Bishkek), and the Development Lab.
