BDFF is an intensive workshop for teams of writer-directors and their producers aiming to make their first film or series. The workshop’s goal is to help the participants put together a strong kick-off material for their debut projects to make it suitable for further presentation and development. At the end of the workshop, the teams will have a treatment or step-outline and a project booklet. The participants will present their projects in a non-traditional, stress-free pitching format to the decision-makers invited to the closing event of BDFF.

At our last edition in 2022, our participants developed their projects with the help of established film industry professionals such as Ada Solomon, Pavel Marek, Cyril Tysz, Nebojsa Taraba, Zsuzsi Bánkuti, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska and Boris Pugnet.

BDFF is waiting for debut film and series projects at an early stage of development. The selection committee will pick a maximum of 5 feature films and 5 series projects. The selected participants (project teams of producer and director/writer) will work in two groups, each group will be led by an acknowledged producer with international experience (one from the feature film. One from the series production field), and one script consultant will be assigned to each group (with series and feature film script writing experience respectively). The teams of tutors will be joined by financing, sales and distribution experts. The workshop will mainly focus on financing and distribution strategies amid the changing industry landscape and specialize to the emerging distribution platforms. The main goal of the workshop is to give the teams specific ideas and suggestions tailor-made to the needs of the projects, in order to make the best possible financing and distributing strategy right at the early stage of the development.

The workshop will be accompanied by events, presentations, roundtables and case studies open to the participants from the industry and to the public (film industry professionals, film school students, journalists etc.), that will also be available online.

BDFF is supported by the National Film Institute of Hungary and the International Visegrad Fund.

Facts:

Date: March 27 – March 31, 2023
Place: Budapest
Participation fee: free of charge

Participants’ accommodation is covered by BDFF, travel costs are partially covered.

Selection: We accept applications from all EU member states plus the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine

• up to 5 debut feature film projects (min. 2 of them from the V4 countries)
• up to 5 debut series projects (min. 2 of them from the V4 countries)

Awards:

• feature film award (1500 EUR)
• series project award (1500 EUR)
• Pop Up Film Residency Visegrad Award – Participation to Pop Up Film Residency Visegrad in July 2022 in Warsaw (for Hungarian projects only)

Who can apply:

• For the feature film group: a team of producer and director
• For the series group: a team of producer and writer

The participants have to work on their debut project (meaning the first feature film of the director in the feature film group, and the first series project of either the writer or producer in the series group)

Deadline for application: February 28th, 2023

Application material:

For the feature film projects:

• Logline (max 250 characters with spaces)
• Synopsis (max 4000 characters with spaces)
• Treatment (max 32.000-40.000 characters with spaces)
• Director’s concept (max 2000 characters with spaces)
• Producer’s notes (max 2000 characters with spaces)
• Preliminary distribution concept (optional)
• Director’s bio with filmography (max 2000 characters with spaces)
• Producer’s bio with previous works (max 2000 characters with spaces)
• optional: moodboard or other visual material / weblinks to the director’s previous works

For the series projects (20 to 60 min per episode):

• Logline (max 250 characters with spaces)
• Series concept (max 4000 characters with spaces)
• Series synopsis (max 8000-12000 characters with spaces)
• Characters’ description (max 4000-8000 characters with spaces)
• Preliminary distribution and/or marketing concept (optional)
• Writer’s personal statement (max 4000 characters with spaces)
• Pilot treatment or step-outline (max 16000-20000 characters with spaces)
• Writer’s bio with filmography (max 2000 characters with spaces)
• Producer’s bio with filmography (max 2000 characters with spaces)
• optional: moodboard or other visual material /weblinks to the writer’s previous works

The application form and the requested materials are to be submitted via a Google Application Form. You can find the link HERE.

Applicants must confirm their full availability for all the residential workshops. The language of all workshops, meetings and events is English; thus, a good knowledge of English is essential in order to participate. All written materials, all versions and drafts of the projects must be translated to English.

Shortlisted applicants will be notified at the beginning of March.

We look forward to receiving your projects!

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