The Docs By the Sea Accelerator is calling for documentary projects until May 10th, 2021.

About:
Docs By The Sea Accelerator is an incubation program for Southeast Asian documentary filmmakers to sharpen their story in Storytelling Lab, create refined rough cut in Editing Lab, or develop the skills to face challenges as a producer in Creative Producing Lab. Eighteen (18) compelling projects and a maximum of nine (9) producers from the Southeast Asia region will be selected to participate this year. The program is followed with pitching sessions of Storytelling and Editing Lab projects to a panel of documentary organizations and industry representatives.

STORYTELLING LAB | August 16th – 27th, 2021
Twelve (12) selected projects will work with three (3) international mentors to develop a compelling storyline, story structure, effective synopsis and other hidden gems waiting to be polished.

EDITING LAB | August 16th – 27th, 2021
Six (6) selected projects in rough cut stage will get editing consultation from three (3) world-class mentors. The selected projects are expected to attend the lab with the director and editor to best optimize the potentials of the film, clarify the vision of the director, and help the film to reach a wider audience.

CREATIVE PRODUCING LAB | August 16th – 30th, 2021
Becoming a documentary producer in Southeast Asian countries is not an easy task. Challenges are abundant and the international industry can be intimidating. Nine (9) emerging Southeast Asian producers are invited to the intimate sharing sessions where they can exchange precious industry insights on funding, distribution, negotiation, contracts and handy skills that are absolutely necessary to navigate the market. The lab is a safe space to talk about the challenges you are facing with three (3) professional mentors.

INDUSTRY EVENTS | August 31st – September 4th, 2021
The filmmakers of Storytelling Lab and Editing Lab will be given the opportunity to pitch to a panel of experts on the two (2) day pitching forum. The industry forum will also provide digital space for one-to-one meetings between the filmmakers and international producers to network and discuss potential collaboration. This collaboration can extend beyond the program and lead to international co-productions, broadcast commissions, acquisitions, cash funding, distribution festival selections, and opportunities to pitch at the other international fórums.

Eligibility:
– The project must be produced or directed by Southeast Asian filmmaker(s), who will be the attending participant(s) of Docs By The Sea Accelerator 2021.
– The project submitted is a documentary project at any length, and at any stage of production on the condition that there is already a pitch trailer/concept trailer made of the project.
– Projects that have been developed and pitched in previous editions of Docs By The Sea are eligible to apply to Docs By The Sea Accelerator 2021 provided that the project has reached significant progress after its last participation.
– Project(s) that have participated in the previous Storytelling Lab in Docs By The Sea or IF/Then are only eligible for Editing Lab in Docs By The Sea Accelerator. Project(s) that have participated in the previous Editing Lab(s) in Docs By The Sea are eligible for only the Creative Producing Lab in Docs By The Sea Accelerator.
– For Storytelling Lab, the director must be the attending participant(s) of the lab. Selected projects can be in development/research to production stage.
– For Creative Producing Lab, the producer must be the attending participant(s) of the lab.
– For Editing Lab, the director and the editor must be the attending participant(s) of the lab. The project must be in the rough cut stage. Thus, providing a rough cut in the application is obligatory. Rough cut does not mean a quick assembly of shot footage. The rough cut should show story structure and resemble the vision of the director.
– All labs will be conducted in English. Docs By The Sea Accelerator does not provide an individual translator for non-English speaking participants.

Application:
There is one Application Form divided into three (3) main sections: Applicant Information, Creative Producing Lab and Project Registration. The Application Information and Project Registration segments are obligatory for applicants of all labs, while the Creative Producing Lab section is mandatory for the Creative Producing Lab applicants only.

Application must be filled out in English. All supporting audiovisual materials (e.g trailer, excerpt, or rough cut) have to be subtitled in English.

For more detail information about what you need to submit please visit the Application Guidelines (link below)

Submission Fee: FREE
Deadline: May 10th, 2021
Notification Date: Late May 2021

To know more about the Application Guidelines and to download the Submission Forms please visit this link: http://www.docsbythesea.org/index.php?p=call_projects

We would like to remind filmmakers that due to the COVID-19 pandemic the “Docs By the Sea” will take place virtually from August 16th until September 6th, 2021.

To see other Call for Entries please follow the next link: “Call for Entries”.