Assembly Documentary Development Lab
Assembly is an annual development lab for creative documentaries. It is currently on hiatus while securing new funding.
The programme is a project-based intensive workshop for international filmmakers working on their first or second feature. Participants from six selected projects attend a four-day programme with talks, workshops and one-to-one mentoring followed by a closed pitch for £10,000 development funding.
The workshop programme took place in September 2019 and September 2020. Assembly aims to create a space for filmmakers to develop and strengthen their projects in order to support emerging voices in non-fiction storytelling.
The first two editions of Assembly were supported by UCL and Open City Documentary Festival. As Assembly is currently on hiatus, we are not currently open for applications.
If you are interested in discussing Assembly, please get in touch with Chloe Trayner.
Previous participants of the Assembly Documentary Development Lab are listed below:
2019 Projects
Curiua Catu (Portugal). Director: Pedro Lino. Producers: Pablo Iraola, Pandora da Cunha Telles,
I am Sarah, with an H (UK). Director: Charly Feldman. Producer: Anna von Dziembowska.
Land of Women (Egypt). Director: Nada Riyadh. Producer: Ayman El Amir.
NAZ (UK). Directors: Ana Naomi de Sousa & Omar El-Khairy. Producer: Elhum Shakerifar.
Nowhere Near (USA). Director: Miko Revereza. Producer: Shireen Seno.
Radio Blackout (UK). Director: Matt Houghton. Producer: Alistair Payne-James.
The Inventory (Mexico). Director: Ilana Coleman. Producer: Jamie Gonçalves.
2019 Mentors
Laura Huertas Millán, Sophie Fiennes, Emma Davie, Maya Mumma, Sierra Pettengill, Mohsen Makhmalbaf
2020 Projects
Ghost Wives (UK). Director: Eva Weber.
Here, the Silence is Heard (Chile). Director: Gabriela Pena. Producer: Picho García.
Seeds (USA). Director: Brittany Shyne .
The Leopard (Germany/Lebanon/Canada). Director: Ali El-Darsa. Producer: Vincent Förster.
Untitled Scholars Project (UK/Kenya/USA). Director: Eloise King. Producer: Riel Roch-Decter.
Untitled Hydebank Film (UK). Director: Ross McClean. Producer: Bronte Stahl.
2020 Mentors
Kitty Green, Mila Turajlic, RaMell Ross, Camila José Donoso, Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Alexander Nanau
WHO IS IT FOR?
Filmmakers with a feature length non-fiction project which is currently in development. Projects will be considered in any stage of development but we encourage applicants to ensure their projects are well-researched and ideally come with a teaser or raw material. Applicants should not be completed with production.
The programme is aimed at emerging directors with first or second time feature projects but there is no requirement in terms of previous experience in documentary filmmaking. Applicants will need to demonstrate their artistic vision for the project but may come from a non-film background.
It is mandatory for the director of the project to attend and there will be bursaries available for producers who wish to attend with the selected projects.
Applicants should have a desire to work on an international level and be open to the rigorous process of attending the programme which will cover both creative development and business development.
The project is open for both UK and international applicants. As the workshop will be delivered in English applicants should be able to work comfortably in English.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Feature length creative documentary projects. We are open to all genres, styles and stories and encourage filmmakers with formally challenging work to apply.
We are keen to support new perspectives in non-fiction storytelling and encourage filmmakers from countries of low audiovisual production capacity.
CRITERIA
Applicants will need to supply a treatment (up to two pages) and a top sheet production budget with their completed application.
We encourage you to include visual materials to support your application. We will accept either a teaser (up to three minutes) or a visual references document if more suitable.
Applicants must hold the intellectual property rights to the project and should also be able to demonstrate access to key characters or institutions.
Projects will be considered without a producer attached but it is encouraged to apply with details of the team.