Calling all aspiring documentary filmmakers!
The UnionDocs Collaborative Studio (CoLAB) is now accepting applications for its one-year program, based in Williamsburg, beginning in September. Aspiring filmmakers will have a unique opportunity to work with artists from around the U.S. and abroad, learning contemporary approaches to the documentary arts and ways to create groundbreaking collaborative projects. Participants will live and breathe the real-life atmosphere of filmmaking in weekly production meetings, seminars and screenings, alongside master classes and critiques with visiting artists.
Andre Almeida, a past participant and this year’s program director, says that being in a collaborative setup forces participants to work with people and consider diverse points of view when they might be tempted to go it alone. “We are encouraged to work together, and throughout the process we have feedback sessions where everyone watches the work we are doing,” Almeida says. “It’s very helpful to have people from different backgrounds comment because they see things in a different way.”
When Almeida came to Brooklyn from his native Portugal to join the program in 2009, he was the only foreigner. Now, CoLAB offers residency and visa support for six participants coming from abroad, as well as an equal number of spots for local, non-resident participants. With an annual program fee of $4000, the program is designed to be affordable. Participants are asked to make CoLAB their primary focus for the duration of the program, but the schedule does accommodate full-time or freelance work.
Applicants are asked to submit two media samples, along with two letters of recommendation. Apply online by June 30 to secure your spot.
