Unique projects, great team, very supportive coordinators, brilliant consultants, remarkable exchange of experiences on: national filmographies, production conditions (difficulties and opportunities), cultural issues, financial and political circumstances!! The group meetings and the thorough discussion that I had with both consultants made me grasp the core of the weaknesses in my script, it gave me great inspiration and insight, and helped me make significant progress in the project! First Film First moves Balkan Cinema one step forward!
Asimina Proedrou, Greece
Sharing the information about the script that\’s in the process of writing with others is always sensitive and touchy field for me. But the atmosphere created among the participants and tutors during the first module in Cluj was really relaxed and filled with understanding so I felt really safe and comfortable. Workshop gave me the needed confidence about the project and I will continue to work on it with more faith and joy.
Ognjen Isailović, Serbia
The FFF workshop is an opportunity for young Southeastern film directors who want to have an international career. It is a kind of a drive for making your project more solid and taking it to the upgrade level. Working with professionals and collaborating with other young talented film directors from the region, makes this wonderful workshop a great possibility for success. The most interesting thing is that your project and you as director go into the four crucial stages for making a motion picture, from script to cinematography and from direction to pitching. As far as I know is the only one of this kind all over Europe.
Florenc Papas, Albania
At the first First Films First workshop the most unique and useful thing for me was that we got all in an open brainstorming process about each other\’s projects. So we bound as a team, participants and tutors. Curiously I did not felt the weight of my own script and I began to think again more freely about it. There I made sure that I have a powerful story that people want to see! At the same time I noticed 2-3 weaknesses in the script that I always felt but I did not want to admit to myself. Thanks FFF!
Nikos Labôt, Greece
With a great selection of participants with different backgrounds and tastes and great mentors; First Films First provided me an unexpectedly safe and nurturing environment, where we were able to let our creative thoughts flow freely, and gain from our fellow filmmakers and mentors insights at the same time. Our mentors were very good at gently guiding us to the crucial points in our work, where we were able to understand what didn\’t work and why it didn\’t, and find the organic solutions which made our scripts work much better and sharper. It is great to be among a group of fellow South East European filmmakers at the First Films First program. We are from a region which makes us have enough differences that enables us to gain fresh and different outside perspective from the others; but at the same time we have such similarities that makes us feel very comfortable and understood in the presence of the others, which eliminates the effort to explain yourself to the others and provides more room for your creative thinking.
Derya Durmaz, Turkey