ABBAS KIAROSTAMI WORKSHOP

Film Workshop

Venue:

Institut français, 17 Queensbury Place, London SW7 2DT.

Dates:

2-10 May 2005.

Organised by:

The London Film School and the Iran Heritage Foundation and the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, in collaboration with Channel 4, Hot Property Films and the French Institute.

Supported by:

Jenny Hall.

Introduction:

A nine-day intensive workshop, led by the celebrated Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, as part of the London wide festival of Kiarostami's work. Abbas Kiarostami has run filmmakers' workshops in the past few years, most recently in Turin, Italy and Sao Paulo, Brazil. These courses, encompassing the arts of direction and screenwriting, have had an extraordinary impact on their participants. Kiarostami deals with the most basic questions of screen form, with the filmmaker's relationship to their audience and their story, with illuminating simplicity. Participants will make films on DV during the workshop. The workshop and films will be produced by BAFTA- winning producer Janine Marmot for Hot Property Films. Marmot has built a reputation as a producer of innovative cinema for a world wide audience. Her credits include 'Bodysong', directed by Simon Pummell and 'I Could Read the Sky', directed by Nicola Bruce.

Ben Gibson, Director of the London Film School said "Very few people have the creative and intellectual clarity to invent cinema from its most basic elements, from the ground up. We are very lucky to have the chance to see a master like Kiarostami thinking on his feet."

Admission fee:

Through the support of Channel 4, The Iran Heritage Foundation and the French Institute, the workshop is offered free of charge.

Competition and selection process:

Twenty-five participants have been recruited through competitive application. The selection panel included representatives from the London Film School, FilmFour, the National Film Theatre and Hot Property Films. The selection panel looked for candidates who can bring a knowledge of independent world cinema and creative skills to the workshop process. Technical film training not being essential.

Enquiries:

44 20 7838 9642, info@lfs.org.uk, www.lfs.org.uk.

The London Film School:

The London Film School was founded in 1956. Its graduates include Mike Leigh, Michael Mann, Tak Fujimoto, Bill Douglas and Roger Pratt. Since 2001 the LFS, under its current director and independent producer Ben Gibson, and Chaired by LFS alumnus Mike Leigh, has re-invented itself as one of the world's key graduate film conservatoires. It offers a 2 year MA Film-making course and is launching a 1-year MA Screenwriting course in September, both validated by the London Metropolitan University. The school is also building a range of events and workshops outside the main degree programmes, attracting participants from all over the UK, at all levels of filmmaking experience. In the last year the school has mounted events at the French Institute (Scenario!) and at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Kiarostami festival:

This programme is part of a London-wide programme of events entitled Abbas Kiarostami: Visions of the Artist celebrating the achievements of this artist and his impact on contemporary culture and society.