The Pop Up Film Residency, a mentorship program founded by former TorinoFilmLab artistic director Matthieu Darras and Slovak producer Juraj Krasnohorsky, will be the exclusive and creative partner of Munich Film Up!, a new initiative by Munich’s University of Film and Television in partnership with the Munich Intl. Festival of Film Schools and the Munich Film Festival.
The eight-month mentoring program and residency will support six promising young filmmakers from around the world as they make the transition from film school into the industry. The inaugural lab will kick off this November at the 40th anniversary of the Munich Intl. Festival of Film Schools and will wrap at the Munich Film Festival in June 2022.
Co-Director Elena Diesbach, head of international at the University of Film and Television (HFF Munich), described the new initiative as a “cultural incubator” that will help the esteemed film school strengthen ties with the city’s two festivals while offering a launching pad for emerging talent.
“For our school, the most important goal remains to foster the kind of inspiring collaboration that will particularly benefit young national and international filmmakers,” she said. “This will boost the international renown of HFF Munich, while connecting young, up-and-coming talent with HFF Munich, the two Munich festivals, the media center Munich and the international film and media business in general, along with their creative and professional environment.”
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Following its official launch on Monday at the Cannes Film Market’s Short Film Corner, Munich Film Up! will announce a call for projects. After meeting in Munich this November, the six participants will benefit from an immersive, three-week Pop Up Film Residency where they will be paired with professionals from the film industry.
Mentors include producers such as Katja Adomeit (Denmark), Ada Solomon (Romania), Marija Razgute (Lithuania), Konstantinos Kontovrakis and Giorgos Karnavas (Greece), Myriam Sassine (Lebanon), and Sebastian Pena Escobar (Paraguay). The participants will meet again at the Munich film fest next June.
Munich Film Up! is designed to support the filmmakers throughout the creative process, offering them an individual development plan specially designed to meet their specific needs. For the duration of the Lab, each filmmaker will be coached by its artistic director Matthieu Darras, along with top-notch international industry mentors, to continuously question the creative decisions made during the screenwriting and development process, and to repeatedly apply new approaches.
Along with its expertise in project development, the Pop Up Film Residency will contribute its extensive network of international hosts to Munich Film Up!. The combined efforts of mentoring and networking are meant to give the selected screenplays the financing and development support they need to eventually evolve into six finished films.
Founded in 2019, the Pop Up Film Residency’s past participants include Greek filmmaker Jacqueline Lentzou, whose feature debut “Moon, 66 Questions” (pictured) premiered in the Encounters section of the Berlin Film Festival this year, and Spanish director Carlota Pereda, whose forthcoming rural thriller “Piggy” was recently picked up by Paris-based Charades Films.
One of the world’s top film schools, Munich’s University of Film and Television counts Roland Emmerich, Florian Henkel von Donnersmarck, Caroline Link and Wim Wenders among its network of 2,000 alumni worldwide.