150 of the world’s leading documentary professionals and decision-makers meet up in Leipzig
Berlin, 12 February 2019: Registration is now open for the second annual international convening of the documentary community, Documentary Convention. Co-created by the Berlin-based organization DOX BOX and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), the Documentary Convention 2019 (DC19) will be held from 15 to 17 of April in Leipzig, Germany. DC19 partners with Dok Leipzig, Idfa Bertha Fund, International Documentary Association and Sundance film festival for its second edition.
A platform for dialogue, collaboration and resistance, designed to inspire creativity, foster connectivity and ignite change, DC19 brings together Arab, European and international documentary professionals and decision makers. This professional-to-professional event is built around an immersive program of inspiring keynotes, project presentations and practical workshops that sit alongside expert groups who ensure result-orientation process and continuation, ultimately creating a lobby and point of reference for the advancement of documentary at large.
Attendance to DC19 is free of charge; all documentary professionals are welcome to apply through a simple application process on the DC website. Furthermore, the Documentary Convention is offering a number of Travel Bursaries to participants from the Arab region and Europe.
Marion Schmidt, Manager of the Documentary Convention, announced that this year’s program builds upon the results and evaluation of the first edition. Some of the topics featured this year are: ethical co-production, the challenges of documentary distribution faced by the industry and questions of ownership as well as access and rights of use of audiovisual heritage. An additional module will look into the role of data in decision-making processes and highlight data-driven initiatives from the Arab region and Europe. Participants will have access to closed expert groups, workshops, debates and panels on these topics.
She added, "the success of the first edition in 2018 confirms the need for spaces where the status quo of how the industry works is challenged and critically debated. The dedication and professional engagement of last year's experts and participants was outstanding. We are excited to see these budding discussions continuing in 2019 and beyond and look forward to welcoming some of the world's leading documentary professionals in Leipzig in April."
International experts attending the convention include Claire Aguilar (IDA), Brigid O'Shea (Dok Leipzig), Camille Laemle (Les FIlms d’Ici), Hicham Falah (FIDADOC), Isabel Arrate Fernandez (IDFA Bertha Fund), Jad Abi Khalil (Beirut DC), Jowe Harfouche (NAAS Network), Mikael Opstrup (EDN), Myriam Sassine (Abbout Productions), Orwa Nyrabia (IDFA), Rasmus Steen (IMS), Rima Mismar (AFAC), Soumeya Bouallegui (Doc House Tunis) and many more.
The DC’19 is supported by Ford Foundation, International Media Support (IMS) and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM).
The deadline for applying for Travel Bursaries is 4th of March.
About the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture – AFAC:
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture - AFAC - is an independent regional initiative that offers financial and professional support to emerging and established artists from the Arab region and diaspora and to cultural institutions engaged in supporting the contemporary Arab art and culture scene. Founded in 2007, AFAC is active in 20 Arab countries and supports annually around 150 artists and institutions in the fields of Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Film, Music, Writing, Photography, Research, and Training and Regional Events. AFAC advocates for philanthropy for the arts and culture and for sustainability of the sector through public and private investments and entrepreneurial practices. AFAC has supported 1,350 projects to date (out of 11,558 applications) and contributed around $20 million towards the production of artworks.
www.arabculturefund.org
About DOX BOX:
DOX BOX is a non-profit organization established in Berlin, Germany, and emerging out of the International Documentary Film Festival which was established in 2007 in Syria under the same name. DOX BOX offers a range of non-traditional support schemes, conducts studies and research, and offers access to knowledge and networking activities.
www.dox-box.org
For more information:
Documentary Convention website: documentary-convention.org
Facebook: Documentary.Convention
Instagram: documentary_convention
Twitter: DocConvention
For press interviews please contact. Salma Said at salma.abutaleb@gmail.com