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Inclusive & Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab
Date & Time
Location
Description
Now in its third iteration, the FilmNorth Inclusive and Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab is a six-week course designed to help filmmakers in any stage of their career practice greater inclusive and socially responsible filmmaking and become leaders of change in our field.
Bringing together leading industry professionals throughout America, including NYC, LA, and the Twin Cities, the lab focuses on the entire filmmaking process, from conception to finding an audience. Throughout this lab, questions of representation are asked of each filmmaker. What are the stories we see or don’t see on-screen? Who is telling them and why? And what impact do they have?
Recognizing there is no “one size fits all” solution in changing our industries and communities, each participant will utilize a personal project to model a more comprehensive approach in their filmmaking. Each lab participant will conclude their lab experience by being paired with an industry professional for a one-on-one mentorship session tailored to their interests and work. Additionally, for the first time, lab participants will gain access to a resource hub to support their work now and in the future.
Whether you are a director, a cinematographer, a PA, or anyone else involved in the filmmaking process, we have the individual capacity to change how films and media are made. The FilmNorth Inclusive and Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab seeks to empower each participant to be a greater force for change.
Lab Information
- 10 participants are selected from a free, open call.
- The Lab is open to individuals worldwide working in any positions within film and media.
- All filmmaking practices are encouraged to apply (narrative, documentary, animation, etc.).
- Both the Lab and application are free of charge.
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The Lab meets virtually on Zoom for six weekly sessions (no meeting Nov. 23).
Application Materials
- Two-sentence description of your background and how it influences your filmmaking.
- One-sentence describing your goal for participating in the lab.
- One-sentence describing your goals for your career and/or filmmaking practice.
- One-sentence synopsis of your current or an upcoming project.
Complete and submit your application. The application deadline is 11:59pm CST, Monday, September 11, 2023. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status within one week following the deadline.
The 2023 FilmNorth Inclusive & Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab is made possible by:
Tuition
Free
Instructor
Jake Yuzna
Jake Yuzna is a Minneapolis-based writer, director, and curator. Their films have been presented at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, London Film Festival, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Walker Art Center, and the British Film Institute, among others. In addition, their work has been broadcast nationally as well as on cable in the US, across Europe on Arté Television, and streamed internationally on Netflix. Yuzna is the first American feature director to win the Teddy Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival and has received additional awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Capital Foundation, Frameline Foundation, McKnight Foundation, IFP MN, FilmNorth, as well as a Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Film Institute. Yuzna founded the cinema program at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC where they curated the first American retrospectives on Italian Zombie Films, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Sion Sono, and the medium of VHS. In addition, Yuzna has curated retrospectives on Andrei Tarkovsky, Godfrey Reggio, Crispin Glover, VHS, HR Giger, Roy Andersson, and Science Fiction cinema of the 1990s. Their scholarship has been collected by the libraries at Yale University and NYU.
Farida Rafique
Farida Rafique is an impact producer and storyteller who graduated from California State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Management.
Farida’s passion for stories is fueled by human rights advocacy and community building. She has produced social impact videos and art installations, including “Love Letters to an Addict” (Recovery and Hope for Opioid Addicts), documentaries for Human Rights Initiative, and co-produced a documentary on the family separation crisis on the Border of Texas and Mexico. She developed and directed a short film, “Ojo,” about a son leaving his family’s hidden history of white supremacy and confronting his old demons upon his mother’s death.
Farida produced impact campaigns in narrative films with intrepid female writer/directors, served on the board of a community arts organization, and is an active member of the United Nations Association Human Rights Organization. She participated in the FilmNorth’s Inclusive and Socially Conscious Filmmaking Lab (’20) and Women in Media’s Cameraderie Accelerator (’21).
Class Registration Guidelines & Cancellation Policy
- Space is assigned on a first-come basis. Registrations must include payment in full. Registrations are accepted after registration deadlines if space is available.
- If minimum enrollment has not been reached by 7 days prior to the start date of a class, FilmNorth may cancel it, in which case registrants will immediately be notified and receive a full refund within 2 business days. A check will be issued for registrations that were paid in cash. In lieu of a refund, students have the option of applying their tuition to another class scheduled in the same calendar year.
- For those needing to cancel a registration at least 7 days prior to the first class session, 100% of the tuition will be refunded minus a $25 administrative fee. For registration cancellations received less than 7 days prior to the first class session, 50% of the tuition will be refunded minus a $25 administrative fee. As of 5:00 pm the day prior to the first class session, no refunds or credits/exchanges will be given (Friday at 5:00 pm for Sunday classes).
- Tuition is not prorated for missed class sessions.
- By registering for this class you are agreeing to our Community Values Statement.
Questions
If you have any questions regarding this class, please send us an email or call (651) 644-1912 ext. 2.