June 8-15, 2010, Shanghai, China

CROSSING BORDERS is a new training and exchange programme done in collaboration between MIDA, Documentary Campus, EDN and GDA – Guangzhou Documentary Association. It is an international documentary program spanning from the Asia-Pacific region to Europe and back again.

Crossing Borders offers professionals and talented up-and-coming filmmakers from Australia, China, Europe, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore a unique opportunity to find their way into the international documentary market. Crossing Borders makes a call for submissions once a year and selects up to 15 projects to be developed for an international audience.

Objective
The aim of Crossing Borders is to expand the European network to the Asia-Pacific region by exchanging experience and knowledge and by promoting cooperation and coproduction activity in the documentary film sector.

The programme will bring together producers and filmmakers from both Europe and Asia, as well as trainers with professional experience from both of these regions, all of whom are highly motivated to collaborate with each other across national borders, and with the ambition of being able to enter each others markets both artistically and financially.

Workshops
Crossing Borders consists of three workshops which provide insights into the process of setting up international coproductions. Through one-to-one access to renowned professionals and trainers, they offer creative and practical support for every phase in the development of a project for the international market.

Workshop 1:
Introduction to the Asian Market
8-15 June in Shanghai, China
Topics: story development; scriptwriting; budgeting & financing; legal aspects of international co-productions.

Workshop 2:
Introduction to the European Market
20-24 October in Leipzig, Germany
Topics: distribution & marketing; trailers; observation of the Final Pitching Session of the Documentary Campus Masterschool.

Workshop 3:
Final Pitching
6-10 December (tbc) in Guangzhou, China
Topic: Project presentation & pitching training

The language of the workshops is English.

Submit a proposal
CROSSING BORDERS is looking for documentary professionals, both authors, directors & producers, coming from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region who have experience in their domestic market but strive to work in the international field and make documentaries for an international audience.