CALL FOR SUBMISSION – CAIRO COMPRESSED
PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
for small file filmmaking
Deadline for application submission: 7th of November 2024
Workshop dates: 25th of November to 15th of December
THINKING BIG SERIOUSLY SMALL!
The Small File Media Festival presents Cairo Compressed, a production workshop introducing small files to explore a more restricted medium that allows for pushing the boundaries of artistic expression exploring pressing issues in abstraction. Join this workshop to engage with the environmentally-friendly and punk-chic practice of smallfile filmmaking! Consisting of three sessions, the workshop will run parallel to the 11th edition of Cairo Video Festival, culminating with a public screening on December 15, 2024, at Zawya Cinema.
Along with the technical aspect, the workshop will have a strong focus on the conceptual element of small file filmmaking. Participants will learn about small-file practice in relation to the regional realities of filmmaking, discover their own approach to translating an idea and developing it further into a film, and consider regional, Egyptian, and local inspirations for small file practice. The workshop will give feedback to each participant to realize their ideas, starting from the conceptual process into planning, production, post-production and screenings and distribution of the films. SFMF founder Laura Marks will join us for a session.
SMALL FILE MEDIA FESTIVAL:
The Small File Media Festival was founded in 2020 to raise awareness of the high carbon footprint of streaming media, proposing alternative solutions for media practice, as well as modes of thinking otherwise in media theory.
The 5th edition of the festival will stream online from October 21—27, 2024. Email the festival if you can’t afford to pay the ticket. For more information visit this link: https://2024.smallfile.ca/
THE WORKSHOP CONDUCTOR:
Mena El Shazly is a visual artist based in Cairo and Vancouver. She obtained an MFA from the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver (2023) and a BA from the American University in Cairo (2013). El Shazly is the Artistic Director of the Cairo Video Festival by Medrar and a programmer at the Small File Video Festival.
To apply, please fill in the form below and submit it before November 7, 2024. Only selected applicants will be notified.
For further inquiries contact mena@medrar.org
Terms & Conditions for the production workshop:
- Applicants must be willing to fully commit to the workshop for three sessions between November 25 and December 15.
- The workshop will invite 10-15 participants residing in Cairo, and priority will be given to teachers, media researchers and scholars.
- Participants must produce a small file movie by the end of the workshop.
- All participants should submit a survey/ report at the end of the workshop.
- A showcase of the final outcome of the workshop will take place in the context of the 11th edition of Cairo Video Festival, in addition to a feature in the publication.
- Participants whose movies are screened will receive an artists’ fee.
This workshop is organized by Medrar for Contemporary Art with the support of the Guggenheim Foundation and the Small File Media Festival.
Presented by Mena El Shazly
Image credit: Stefan Naravich, ARCMAPS