Film Accelerator LAB 2019

Introduction

Lucrecia Martel (1966) is a director and scriptwriter from northern Argentina. Her four feature films, two of which were part of Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, have been awarded by international film festivals and acclaimed by critics, positioning her as one of the most relevant Latin American filmmakers of the 21st century. Amongst the basic principles of its creation are the sound, the warm landscapes, and the general asphyxiation of a society in decline.

Founder of the New Argentinian Cinema, her work stands out for its creation of a family universe, close, intimate, inspired by the stories of her own social environment.

“I am the living example that, in order to make movies, we only need a life, a family, and being attentive. I built my tools from a place of ignorance, from a girl from the interior, middle class, who did not have a family with a library with the latest trends of thought. From a very provincial and small place, I built my artifact. And I got rid of the persecution of the truth for this construction. Everything that I shoot is a lie”.
(1) — L. Martel

“Our ears do not have eyelids. In cinema, the sound is inevitable.”

(2) — L. Martel

Formally, she concentrates the strength of her work being an active and cautious listener. Martel has an elaborate personal and particular conception of constructing her storytelling starting from the sound. “If we see a horror movie, we can close our eyes and avoid seeing the croaking, shooting, clashing. Our ears do not have eyelids. In cinema, the sound is inevitable.”

When she was young, the terrifying narratives of her grandmother managed to capture her attention, and kept her motionless during the adult hours of silence and siesta, feeding her imagination. She also used to immerse herself in the swimming pool, and stay in the bottom of it, wrapped in water, listening to the strangeness of the sounds that came from the outside.

A movie theater is like an empty swimming pool in which we all are, and even though there is no water, we are immersed in a fluid. This elastic fluid is the air, that behaves quite similarly to the water, in how he transmits the sound. In cinema, the sound spreads into the room and crosses through the body. It is a vibration that needs an elastic medium to be transmitted, and crosses through everything that is in its way. That’s us in the movies. Those who are touched by the sound, are us spectators.
(3) — L. Martel

Experience description

During 10 days, Lucrecia Martel will guide a group of 45 emerging international filmmakers in their pursuit to make an individual short film. The participants will use as locations the industrial landscape of Barcelona outskirts, and as characters, non-professional local actors.

During the program, each of the participants will experience all stages of cinematographic creation: from the conception of an idea to the film screening, taking as a starting point a central theme proposed by the Guest Director. The participants will have at their disposal a database of shared resources (natural and professionals actors, locations with shooting permits) made possible by the preproduction arranged by our local team.

All participants will also engage in group meetings and individual tutoring sessions, aimed to stimulate the artistic methods of each filmmaker in all stages of production.

As a result, each participant will deliver a short film of its own creation. In addition, they will have the chance of being part of a selection chosen by the same participants and the guest director, that will be distributed to international film festivals and to various broadcasting platforms.

The Cinematographic Accelerator is an eminently practical program. It is mandatory for the participants to be technically self-sufficient, and have the skills of writing, shooting (image and sound) and editing, as well as the availability of bringing their own portable filming and editing unit. Technical collaborations between the participants are highly recommended, as long as they do not affect the individual creative process.

100% On-site Creation

The films will be created taking as a starting point the writing and filming of the dialogues, understanding them from the sound, and from a narrative analysis beyond the audiovisual.

The Accelerator’s production team will deliver to each participant a complete database of production resources available in the area, to develop their projects. This information will include a varied cast of professional and natural actors, scouting of locations with their respective filming permits, a daily transport system for the shooting teams, as well as a team of translators that will facilitate the work of the filmmakers with the characters and/or actors.

Every day, the fieldwork in the locations with the characters will be enriched by dialogues and exchanges between the Guest Director and the group of filmmakers. It will enhance their experience, develop their work method, style, and techniques. It will be a privileged space to address the main concerns and dilemmas faced by filmmakers at the time of creation.

Open Call

Deadlines

14/03 Announcement of the Open Call

15/04 Call of entries deadline

19/04 Publication of the selection of participants

26/04 Payment deadline

27/04 Confirmation of the waiting list places

30/04 Waiting list payment deadline

06/06 Start of the Accelerator

15/06 End of the Accelerator

Conditions of participation

To ensure a place, each participant must pay the registration fee before the payment deadline; otherwise, it will be assigned to the next candidate on the waiting list. The accelerator is an independent initiative and therefore does not have, for the moment, a scholarship system or institutional subsidies.

*Once the payment is made, there will be no possibility of refunds.
**For the participation, it will be necessary that the selected auteurs certify travel insurance.

The registration includes:

Food: Three meals a day for 10 days. Coffee station morning and afternoon.

Transportation: Daily routes to visit locations and shootings.

Accompaniment: Translators and local production team.

Preproduction: General preproduction folder about the area. Database of actors: will include a varied casting of professional and natural actors available. Location database: list of locations, with photographs, descriptions and filming permits.

Distribution: Lucrecia Martel and the participants of the experience will make a selection of the best short films of the program to be distributed.

Program Background

This methodology was initially conceived by the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who underwent through different methods of practical training for more than two decades in 18 countries, stimulating the creation for young filmmakers throughout the world.

The Film Accelerator arose thanks to the gathering between Abbas Kiarostami and the director of the Acceleration Program, Liliana Díaz, who extended the experience of the Iranian director to Ibero-America. Three years of collaboration with the Iranian teacher resulted in the realization of the project in Colombia 2014, Spain 2015 and Cuba 2016.

In 2017, the German director Werner Herzog, integrated the initiative, taking over and using the method of training and practical advice in Cuba 2017 and in the Amazon rainforest of Peru in 2018.

In 2018, La Selva, Creative Ecosystem, took over the development of these creative rendezvous between Masters of Cinema and young emerging international directors, with the purpose of promoting the rise of authentic and unique auteur points of view.

Parallel Activities

Parallel to the film acceleration program, a series of activities are carried out, such as a Retrospective and a Master Class, designed to broaden the encounter between Lucrecia Martel, her work, and the local public, thus multiplying the dialogue and reflection on film creation.

RETROSPECTIVE OF WORKS BY LUCRECIA MARTEL

5 Sessions.

Inauguration June 13
19:30 Projection Zama / 2017 / 1’55 “
Place: Filmoteca de Catalunya

Dialogue between Lucrecia Martel and Esteve Riambau, Dir. Filmoteca de cataluña

MASTER CLASS

In collaboration with L’Alternativa and CCCB.

Dialogue between the Guest Director and the local public about their work and method. This activity gives continuity to the retrospective that the festival dedicated to her in 2015 and to the inauguration of the 2017 edition with the premiere of his feature film, Zama.

Date: June 6, 2019
Start of the event: 19:00
Duration: 120 min
Place: CCCB – Aula 1

€ 7 fee
€ 3 reduced rate – for friends of CCCB, students, retirees, unemployed.
Tickets only at the box office / opening 18:00
LIMITED CAPACITY

PRIVATE MASTER CLASS

Exclusive meeting between the students of the ECIB, Barcelona Film School, and Lucrecia Martel on the process of creating her latest feature film, Zama.

Duration: 120 min