email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

FIRST CUT LAB 2021

First Cut Lab launches new workshops across Europe

by 

- The first editions in Slovakia, the Netherlands and Hamburg have been announced and will run over the course of 2021

First Cut Lab launches new workshops across Europe
Quiet Freedom by Wendla Nölle, which participated in a previous edition of First Cut Lab

A couple of months ago, First Cut Lab announced its expansion into Western Europe, with Belgium and Switzerland organising their first editions (see the news). Now, the workshop, dedicated to feature films in the editing phase, has decided to expand even further and has unveiled its next stops and various new partnerships in Slovakia, the Netherlands and the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, aiming to offer tailor-made labs to the local industries.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Starting with First Cut Lab Slovakia, the programme will run entirely online within the period from 15 February-15 April, with the exact dates depending on the needs of the selected projects, and two features in the editing phase will be eligible to participate. The teams of directors/producers/editors will benefit from consultations with three international film-industry advisors and will receive feedback from a consultant editor. First Cut Lab Slovakia is organised thanks to the financial support of the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, and the deadline for submissions is 1 February.

Regarding First Cut Netherlands, the inaugural edition will also be held entirely online, and it will be designed for two feature films in the editing phase that are funded by the Netherlands Film Fund, which is also supporting the lab. The procedure will follow the usual pattern of the other labs, with three international experts and one consultant editor on board. The dates can be within the period from 22 March-31 December, and the exact days will be decided upon according to the individual schedules of the films.

The same pattern will also be followed by the new First Cut Lab Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, and the consultancy programme will welcome three features in the editing phase that are supported by the Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH). The dates of the programme when each film will be workshopped will be within the period from 15 March until the end of the year.

Andrea Schütte, whose production company, Tamtam Film, is based in Hamburg and participated in First Cut Lab Trieste 2020 with the FFHSH-funded project Quiet Freedom [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Wendla Nölle, which is being edited by Rune Schweitzer, remarked: “We have benefited not only from the expertise of the experts, but also from the close support of an experienced editor and coach. The open-minded, sensitive approach to the cut, the sensitive, precise criticism of character leadership and plot, but also the individual perspectives on the challenging story, probably saved us some time in the cutting room and gave us the right impulses at the right time. This is how we we were able to mould a very special debut from a promising editing version, and then win an outstanding global distribution deal with Pluto Film.”

Thanks to the flexibility of these two labs, there will also be two deadlines for the calls, with the first submission period ending on 1 March and the second on 1 September. More information can be found on the First Cut Lab website.

Regarding this latest expansion, Matthieu Darras, founder and director of First Cut Lab, stated: “We are delighted to be initiating cooperation with the Netherlands Film Fund and the Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Film Fund – especially since these two funds recently put former film producers at their helms, the highly respected Bero Beyer and Helge Albers. Both share a brilliant expertise when it comes to the needs of films at the post-production stage. They also have a deep understanding of how crucial editing is in the overall creative process, as well as in terms of the film’s potential for attracting an audience.”

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy