Call for Applications | Film Journalism Workshop

Goethe-Institut Nigeria is organizing a workshop for practicing and aspiring film journalists. Writers with a strong interest in culture, especially film, are encouraged to apply. 8 to 10 participants will be selected for the 5-day Film Journalism Workshop, which will take place daily from November 9 to 13, 2018.

Language

The working language of the workshop is English. 

Target Group

The workshop is open to practicing and aspiring film critics, journalists, students of film, researchers et c. Applicants with relevant experience in cultural journalism (with particular interest in - but not restricted to – film) will also be considered. Applicants must not be younger than 18 years old.

Training Objectives

Nigeria has one of the world's largest film industries, with global interest in its local content perpetually on the rise. Apart from classic Nigerian films of the 70s, as well as the popular Nollywood films and TV series, animation and documentary films are also becoming increasingly known. Across local traditional and social media, these films are mostly reviewed by self-

taught film journalists and critics who have shaped their talent from their knowledge of and passion for cinema.

To coincide with the 2018 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Goethe-Institut Nigeria is organising a five-day film journalism training which will enable participants to apply the newly-acquired knowledge in practice. Participants will be tutored on the fundamental standard forms of 

film journalism (reviews/critiques, interviews, and feature writing.) This is to build on existing standards and also enable successful participants to become trainers themselves towards broadening the local film criticism community. 

The aim of the workshop is to provide the participants with tools to sharpen their individual style and to sensitize them to certain aspects of the field in order to professionalise their work, making it more attractive for further dissemination.

Similar to the Institut’s 2014 music journalism workshop and the annual IREP Documentary Festival Newsroom, participants will be expected to write daily reviews during the Film Journalism workshop.

An expected outcome is for the workshop to initiate more content-driven discourse on Nigerian film/video, its history and current state; its cultural and socio-political impact as well as its synthesis with other genres.

Training Facilitator

- Lukas Foerster (Germany) is a film critic, journalist, film program-mer, and has taught Film theory and film Journalism Online at the Free University, Berlin and the University of Hildesheim respective-ly. Lukas Foerster is the 2018-2019 Siegfried Kracauer Film Criti-cism Fellow.

Application Requirements

Interested applicants should submit the following application documents:

· Letter of motivation (max. 1 page)

· 2 - 3 Writing Samples (published or unpublished samples will be accepted; should be film-related).

· 1-2 page CV (text, not tabular form) 

Incomplete application documents will not be reviewed. Lunch will be provided. Selected participants will however have to cover individual transport and accommodation costs. Per Diems will not be provided.

Deadline for Submissions

The deadline for submitting applications is: Friday, October 19, 2018. 

Applications must be submitted to programme@lagos.goethe.org

Please indicate “Film Journalism Workshop” in the subject line of the e-mail. 

For further enquiries, contact: programme@lagos.goethe.org