Atelier de scénaristes à Kampala

MAISHA ANNOUNCES DEADLINE FOR FIRST SCREENWRITERS' LAB FOR EAST AFRICANS

AND SOUTH ASIANS




November 1st, 2005

Maisha will be holding its first Screenwriters' Lab in Kampala, Uganda in

August 2005. The deadline for receiving Screenwriters Lab applications is

Tuesday, March 1st, 2005. All application information is located on the

Maisha website www.maishafilmlab.com .

Citizens of Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania can apply for the program

along with citizens of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.


The Screenwriters' Labs will be for intermediary Screenwriters who are

working on feature film projects. Twelve Screenwriters will be chosen to

attend the Lab. The Screenwriters' Lab will be an eight-day workshop

providing participants with an opportunity to work intensively on their

feature film scripts under the guidance of experienced visiting mentors. The

selected screenwriters will have individual story sessions with the mentors,

during which they will solve problems and brainstorm issues concerning their

scripts. In addition, participants will attend seminars, led by the mentors,

regarding storytelling craft and screenwriting techniques.


For the participants, Maisha will cover costs associated with participation,

including: travel, accommodations and meals.


To help Maisha in its efforts to further the art of filmmaking in East

Africa and South Asia the Maisha Advisory Committee includes international

directors and personalities including Spike Lee, Sofia Coppola, Raoul Peck,

Peter Chappell, Karen Cooper, Sabrina Dhawan, Liz McGrath, Bingham Ray and

Michelle Satter.


Maisha is funded with the support of Open Society Institute, Pannonia

Foundation and Home Box Office (HBO). We also receive in kind sponsorship

from Moonstone International Screen Labs.


Storytelling has the power to forge bonds across boundaries in an

increasingly global yet fundamentally disconnected world. Now more than

ever, at a time when it is critical to foster global understanding, we need

to listen to stories from places across our political and cultural borders.

Out of a concern that young screenwriters and film directors in East Africa

and South Asia do not have access to the professional training and

production resources necessary for these storytellers to articulate their

visions, filmmaker Mira Nair was inspired to establish Maisha (which means

"life" in Kiswahili).


Contact information:

Ms. Musarait Kashmiri, Program Director, Maisha

email: maishafilmlab@infocom.co.ug