The Toronto International Film Festival is now accepting submissions for the 9th edition of its Talent Lab.
Talent Lab is a fantastic opportunity for advanced filmmakers who are still early in their careers to participate in learning and networking sessions with some of the world's top filmmakers attending TIFF. Talent Lab consists of four days during the first half of TIFF and is led by several governors. Other writers, directors, producers and actors join in for mentoring as well.
Last year's governors were Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), Jennifer Baichwal (Payback, Manufactured Landscapes) and the late Bingham Ray. Visiting mentors included Gus Van Sant, Brian De Palma, Sarah Polley and Fernando Meirelles. Previous governors and mentors include Danny Boyle, Lee Daniels, Jane Campion, Michael Ondaatje, Miranda July, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Steve McQueen, Paul Haggis, and Tilda Swinton.
All selected participants in Talent Lab are eligible to participate in the RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition. After the festival concludes, they have three months to create a 1-5 minute short film on a given theme. A jury will select a winner and honourable mention to receive cash prizes worth $15,000 and $10,000, while a Fan Favourite Award worth $5,000 is chosen by online voting.
The Talent Lab Application Deadline is Wednesday, June 6, 2012. The accompanying DVD and resume must be received by Wednesday, June 13, 2012. All applicants will be notified by July 30, 2012.
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival takes place from September 6 to 16, 2012.
Now in its ninth year, Talent Lab is an intensive four-day artistic development programme that provides emerging talent with an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the world's best film artists.
Talent Lab Artistic Governors have included Olivier Assayas, Jennifer Baichwal, Danny Boyle, John Collee, Lee Daniels, Miranda July, Don McKellar, Deepa Mehta, Michael Ondaatje, the late Bingham Ray, Jason Reitman, Gus Van Sant, Stephen Woolley and Edgar Wright. Selected participants benefit from the guidance of the Governors and from the experience of Talent Lab guests. Guests have included directors Jane Campion, David Cronenberg, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Brian DePalma, Atom Egoyan, Stephen Frears, Terry Gilliam, Davis Guggenheim, Paul Haggis, Neil Jordan, Nadine Labaki, Kim Longinotto, Guy Maddin, Steve McQueen, Fernando Meirelles, Mike Mills, Gaspar Noé, Sarah Polley, Nicolas Winding Refn, John Sayles and Frederick Wiseman; and producers Ted Hope, Aamir Khan, Robert Lantos, James Schamus, Tilda Swinton and Christine Vachon.
The 2012 Talent Lab runs from September 5th to 8th.
Talent Lab is open to emerging filmmakers with a minimum of either one feature film or two short film credits as director, writer or producer.
International applicants are welcome. Please note that Talent Lab is an English-language environment.
Applications need to be submitted by the applicants themselves, not by third parties (i.e. assistants, co-workers etc.).
Financial assistance may be available for selected applicants.
Applications on Withoutabox must be submitted by 5pm E.S.T. on Wednesday, June 6, 2012.
All applicants must send a data DVD with a one-minute clip to Talent Lab at the Toronto International Film Festival (please see below for more information on the format). Please note that we also require a printed version of your resume (one page maximum). The DVD and resume must be received by 5pm E.S.T. on Wednesday, June 13, 2012.
Please note that it is the applicant's responsibility to cover all shipping costs, including any customs charges incurred by oversea shipment. Talent Lab will not accept packages sent "collect" via couriers.
File names need to consist of the respective Withoutabox tracking number and the full name of the applicant, for instance: "TL1210 - John Smith".
NOTE: Demo reels, trailers and music videos will not be accepted. Clips cannot exceed one (1) minute in length. Submissions of full-length films with time-codes to be played will not be considered by the jury. If you have applied for Talent Lab in previous years, we strongly recommend that you re-apply with a different film clip.
STEP 1: If you do not have a Filmmaker Account on Withoutabox, you will have to create one in order to apply for Talent Lab (it's FREE). Make sure to provide your mailing address, email address and phone number in your contact information.
STEP 2: Log into your account and set up a project in Withoutabox. You need to set up a project and add it to your application to Talent Lab. This is a Withoutabox formality. Click on the "Add a Project" tab in the navigation menu. Follow the prompts on Withoutabox and fill out all the necessary information in order to create the project; you can skip most steps for the purpose of submitting to Talent Lab. The project you attach to your application does not have to be the one-minute clip you plan to send to Talent Lab. If you already have other projects registered on Withoutabox, you can use one of those.
STEP 3: Once you have added a project, click on "Search Festivals" or "Browse Festivals" on your start page and find TIFF Talent Lab.
STEP 4: Select "Submit now" on the navigation bar for TIFF Talent Lab.
STEP 5: Once you have attached one of your projects, you will be taken to a website with special questions (see below for a preview).
STEP 6: Submit the answers to the questions and make sure that Withoutabox confirms your successful completion of the application process.
STEP 7: Send the data DVD with the one-minute clip and the print-out of your resume to Talent Lab at the Toronto International Film Festival; we need to receive them by June 13, 2012.
Have you applied for Talent Lab in previous years? If so, please indicate which years.
Please copy and paste your resume in the below text box. (1 Page Max. Please note that Withoutabox removes all formatting from your resume. As a result, please format your resume in plain-text).
Please provide information on your first selected film credit (TITLE; feature or short film; production year; your role; list up to 3 festivals the film has played).
Please provide information on your second selected film credit (TITLE; feature or short film; production year; your role; list up to 3 festivals the film has played).
Please provide information on your third selected film credit (TITLE; feature or short film; production year; your role; list up to 3 festivals the film has played).
From which film project will you send us a one-minute clip (TITLE; feature or short film; production year; your role; list up to 3 festivals the film has played)?
All applicants to Talent Lab will be notified about the status of their applications by July 30, 2012.