The objective of Project is to develop a model for an International Student Film Market, and develop and launch Virtual International Student Film Market, providing the network for film students for establishing contacts with international film industry representatives, finding interested film companies for their films and networking with peers on international level. As direct outcome, among others, a graduation film project of feature film development would find a professional producer that would take the project into its slate and go into production, film school students would be able to network in order to find contacts for their traineeship or professional practice and in longer terms it helps to enter to labour market, contacts formed between film students in the Virtual International Student Film Market would later merge into professional collaboration and result in future international co-productions, etc. The Virtual International Student Film Market will be launched at A-category Film Festival – the event will be held at Black Nights Film Festival (BNFF) and its sub-festival Sleepwalkers Student Film Festival (SWFF) in Tallinn, Estonia in 2019. The project will be implemented in partnership of 4 universities, 1 international film festival organisation and 1 international association of film schools, representing 4 countries - Estonia, Bulgaria, France, Portugal.
The objective of the project was to develop the Student Film Market app (SFM) (www.studentfilmmarket.com), built on a film market model for student films, which would provide a network for student filmmakers for collaboration, co-funding of projects, crowdfunding; provide means for creating contacts between international film industry representatives and the students; help the students to find opportunities for a traineeship or professional practice and in longer terms help them enter the labor market, with hopes that the contacts formed between film students in the Student Film Market app would later merge into professional collaboration and result in future international co-productions. The Student Film Market was launched at A-category Film Festival – Black Nights Film Festival’s (BNFF) sub-festival PÖFF Shorts in Tallinn, Estonia in 2019. The Student Film Market app was developed in partnership with 4 universities (that have film curricula or curricula closely connected with film), 1 international film festival organization, and 1 international association of film schools (with 170+ member schools), representing 4 countries - Estonia, Bulgaria, France, Portugal. Our project tackled issues specific to film education: • Film schools are seldom able to provide all needed specialties for producing and distributing films. • Film school graduates (who are otherwise ready to go into production with their film projects) lack contacts with the professional film industry, especially on the international level. • The existing international film markets (that provide co-production and funding for professional filmmakers) are designed for film professionals only. The aim of the project was to provide film students the means for presenting their films (portfolio), networking with peers on an international level, establishing contacts with international film industry representatives, finding funding and co-production opportunities.