Cairo 2018

EAVE ON DEMAND session for the Egyptian film industry.

November 25 - 28, Cairo, Egypt

Cairo Industry Days in partnership with EAVE ON DEMAND and Birthmark Scenario is offering a 4 days Development Lab for selected teams of writers and producers. EAVE/BMS Script Development Lab objective is to cover all aspects of the development stage of Arabic feature film projects including script development strategies, the role of the producer, marketing and international sales, budgeting and financial planning as well as pitching.

EAVE/BMS Script Development Lab couples international and regional experts to ensure the delivery of information and content in a relevant and tailored manner to meet the specific needs of each project.

EAVE/BMS Script Development Lab OBJECTIVES

1. Prepare regional producers and writers for the development stage
2. Support the writers as a stand alone profession
3. Emphasize on the creative role of the producer
4. Highlight available and realistic cooperation and financing opportunities

TOPICS COVERED

 1. Script Development Strategies
2. Marketing and International Sales
3. Role of the Producer
4. Budget & Financing
5. Pitching

EAVE/BMS Script Development Lab STRUCTURE

 Masterclasses

– 1.5-2 hours delivered by the experts for each topic

Group sessions:

– 2 – 5 Hours Daily for 4 days
Will cover
– Challenges facing the writers and producers through the writing process
– Sharing knowledge and case studies between the experts and the participants
– Discussions of the group’s projects from both perspectives
– Setting a plan for following steps of each of the projects

One-on-One consultancy

– A one hour individual consultancy between the experts and each project team

MEET THE EXPERTS

Roshanak Behesht Nedjad – In Good Company (DE)
Roshanak began working in the film industry as a festival coordinator and production manager. In 1999, she started her first production company Flying Moon, together with Helge Albers and Konstantin Kröning. Until 2014 they produced arthouse films, with over 30 international awards, among them the German Film Award in Gold and the Prix Europe Iris. In 2012, Roshanak ventured into Serious Games with LudInc and in 2014 she teamed up with Jani Thiltges and Claude Waringo, starting In Good Company in Berlin. The focus of IGC is on international coproductions, with an emphasis on European features, aiming to entertain on a smart level. Roshanak also works as an expert and consultant for various institutions and training organisations such as EAVE. She is a member of the German Film Academy as well as the European Film Academy, an EAVE graduate and group leader.

Clare Downs – Script executive (UK)
Consultant, Script Executive, Fund Evaluator, Lecturer, Producer – The Dress (BAFTA), High Season (San Sebastian, Best Screenplay). Clare Downs has extensive international script consulting and workshop experience. She was Director of International Creative Affairs at The Ladd Company. Founding member of the EAVE script analyst team since 1989. Head of Studies for Regional Programmes in Greece, Ireland and Scotland. Script Expert for EAVE on Demand, and for the EAVE International Programmes -Ties That Bind, B’EST. Also Head of Studies of the Southern African producer training programme, AVEA; Head of Script for FOCAL’S South Caucasian Film Project (IFSCA); Script Consultant for the Jerusalem International/Sam Spiegel Film Lab.  Recent Cannes and Berlin prize winners: The Kindergarten Teacher, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki, United States of Love, Mellow Mud, also including Wajib (Locarno, Toronto).

Aranka Matits – Featurette (NL)
Aranka Matits, as the founder of boutique agency Featurette, advises distributors, roadcasters and VOD platforms on their acquisitions, coproductions and strategic planning. At the forefront of the evolving media landscape, she also consults them on the evolving practices of production and distribution, creating opportunities for them to exploit new markets. Current and past clients include a roster of theatrical distributors (France, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, the Benelux, Italy, Spain and Portugal), international sales agents, on-demand platforms and VOD aggregators as well as a multinational broadcaster.
Her acquisitions range from auteur films to crossover fare and include titles like the Oscar-winning Still Alice, Amour and The Secret in Their Eyes, festival hits like Toni Erdmann or Winter’s Bone or breakout debuts such as Wadjda or Mustang.
Previously, Aranka headed acquisitions for French distributor Pretty Pictures and her selections contributed to transforming the company into a key player in the territory. Prior, she worked in international sales where she sold a diverse slate of established directors and new talent. She began her career working in film finance where she was involved in executive producing films by Woody Allen and Werner Herzog, amongst others.
In addition, she teaches workshops on sales, distribution and project marketing across the globe. She is also a regular speaker at events hosted by EAVE, Producers Network or ACE Producers. She serves regularly on project development or festival juries and is a voting member of the European Film Academy.
For nearly two decades Aranka worked in London and New York, where she also obtained a PhD in German Literature & Film Studies. Originally from Cologne, she currently lives in Amsterdam.

Ahmed Sharkawi (Egypt, EG)
Ahmed Sharkawi is a media executive with over 22 years of experience in the media industry in the Middle East and currently serves as Head of Content Development for Shahid at MBC Group. He holds an MA in Production for Film & Television from Royal Holloway, University of London (2009), a diploma in Film Producing from New York Film Academy/Los Angeles (2004) and was Egypt’s representative in the Euro-Med Co-production workshop hosted by Media Business School, Spain (2006).
Sharkawi had overseen the development and production of over 400 scripted drama hours for the region and was among the founding team of Sony Pictures Television (SPT)operation in the Middle East, and headed the scripted development division at SPT Arabia. After SPT, he went on to set up the development division at Iproductions Egypt and later acted as the Scripted Development Consultant for Beelink Productions.
He is credited for the development of both original series and local remakes of international formats; most notably; Layali Eugenie (30 Episodes) an Adaptation of Acacias 38 (BoomerangTV), Halawet ElDonia (30 Episodes) an adaptation of Terminales (Televisa), La Totfe2 ElShams (30 Episodes), Haza El Masaa (30 Eps), Heba Regel ElGhorab (180 Eps) a remake of Betty La Fea (RCN), Elbab fi Elbab (3 Seasons X 30EPS) a remake of Everybody Loves Raymond (WB/SPT) among others.
Previous to working in drama production, Sharkawi have worked with various broadcasters around the region in like OSN (Showtime), Abu Dhabi Media Company and OTV.

WHO SHOULD APPLY & WHY?

– Teams – writer and producer – of projects that are at a very early stage of development and interested in understanding specifically their roles and the nature of the process and how to propel their projects to materialize.
– Projects mean fiction feature length scripts with Arabic as the main language of the film
– The Development Lab also offers post lab optional script counseling after the festival as well as an opportunity to network and build professional relationships with counterparts and experts.

HOW TO APPLY

1. Please read all the FAQs section before filling in the application
2. Fill and submit the online form for your project (one application/ writer-producer team)
Please NOTE:
1. Submission PACKAGE has to include
a. Writer’s bio / filmography
b. Writer’s Note of Intention
c. Producer’s Bio / filmography
d. Producer’s Note of Intention
e. Project current status
f. Project development budget and financial plan
g. Project detailed Treatment
2. Package has to be submitted in two language versions; English and Arabic
3. Submission Deadline is August 31st 2018

ABOUT THE COLLABORATORS

EAVE – European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs, is one of the leading professional training, project development and networking organizations for audiovisual producers. Working with a worldwide network of partners we are involved in programmes for producers in Europe, Russia, Latin America, the Arab world, Asia and Africa.

Birthmark Scenario – Birthmark Scenario is a script services and development company that aims for scouting and developing talents as well as managing those talents to provide second to none quality scripts for the film and TV market. It’s BMS vision to put Arabic screenwriting development on the international map of screenwriting.

Page last updated 14 March 2019