Tom Schlesinger, Screenwriter, Dramaturg and Screenwriting Consultant
RACCONTI #1
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About RACCONTI #1
About RACCONTI #1
RACCONTI # 1 is a script lab sponsored by the BLS Südtirol Alto Adige. Racconti is designed to help committed screenwriters develop a treatment that is ready to submit for funding, attract a producer to their project, and build long-term creative partnerships that are, ideally, cross-cultural. There are six phases:
APPLICATION
Screenwriters submit ideas for a feature-length film or television pilot. The application packages may be submitted online or by post and must be received by BLS on or before November 15th, 2011.SELECTION
A panel of film industry experts, the BLS jury, chooses the best ten ideas.SCRIPT LAB
Each of the ten selected screenwriters develops a treatment for their idea at a retreat in South Tyrol’s Val Sarentino (Sarntal) from January 26th to 29th, 2012. International industry experts, or Creative Advisors, will conduct the workshops and provide dramaturgical guidance.RESIDENCY
The writer with the most developed idea wins a six-week residency in South Tyrol.FOLLOW UP
All ten selected screenwriters have ongoing access to online dramaturgical support as they develop their treatments.PROMOTION
BLS publishes a brochure for producers to promote the ten projects selected. BLS selects three projects to be pitched for an exclusive group of producers from Italy, Germany and Austria at the INCONTRI #2 co-production meeting. Once a producer is attached to a given project, the production company can apply to BLS for development funding. -
The selected projects
The selected projects
Congratulations to the winners!
First prize, € 2.000: Zweitland by Michael Kofler
First prize, Racconti #1 Residency: Crossing the Green Line by Claas Junge1.240 Meter über dem Meer by Ane H. Lykka & Alexandra Kaufmann
Escape to the Mountains by Christoph Busche
Peak Reflection by Cristina Gadotti & Erica Gianesini
Small Fish by Enrica Gatto
The Diary by Pascal Yorks & Matthias Lintner
Ötzi & Ich by Anke Klaaßen
Fräulein by Caterina Carone
Ice Man by Brendan Foley
Romeo and Julian by Gabi Arnold -
The 2012 Retreat
The 2012 Retreat
The writers of the ten projects selected by the BLS jury as having the most potential will be invited to attend a retreat in the Sarntal Alps. The 2012 retreat will take place from the 26th to the 29th of January.
The site of the retreat will be one of South Tyrol’s most pristine and secluded valleys, the Val Sarentino (Sarntal). Just 16 kilometres north of Bolzano (Bozen), one can only enter the Val Sarentino by passing through a deep, wild gorge. The densely forested valley is known for its fragrant pine trees, ancient traditions, and spectacular scenery: it’s the perfect refuge to get away from the stress of everyday life and concentrate intensely on screenwriting.
Workshops led by international industry experts, called Creative Advisors, will take place at a meticulously renovated thirteenth-century farmhouse estate, the Rorherhaus. The Rorherhaus provides an idyllic setting steeped in South Tyrol’s rich traditions, culture and history.
Retreat participants will receive room and board—free of charge, of course—at the Bad Schörgau Hotel, an Alpine design hotel. The Bad Schörgau is situated bucolically at the edge of a forest and has a gourmet restaurant, cosy bistro, and bathing house with its own natural springs.
It is important to note that the RACCONTI #1 Script Lab is not limited to the three-day retreat, though. BLS continues to help all participants even after they have returned to their everyday lives: There will be ongoing dramaturgical follow-up online in support of the development of viable treatments. BLS will also disseminate treatments of the projects throughout its network. In addition, BLS will select three screenwriters to pitch their projects at INCONTRI # 2, a meeting of producers and backers working in the German-language and Italian film sectors.
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The 2012 Residency
The 2012 Residency
First Prize of the screenwriting competition comprises three elements: a six-week residency in South Tyrol; participation in RACCONTI #1, the Südtirol-Alto Adige Script Lab; and a € 2,000 stipend.
The screenwriter selected by the BLS jury as having the idea with the most potential (the RACCONTI #1 Resident) wins the opportunity to come to South Tyrol within 2012 for a six-week research stay (the RACCONTI #1 Residency). The purpose of the Residency is to conduct onsite research for the selected film project and to give the Resident time to focus intensely on creating a viable treatment. BLS will decide together with the Resident on the exact location and timing of the Residency based on scheduling needs, the research required, and the setting of the project.
BLS will arrange that free lodging with half board be provided for the Resident for the duration of the Residency. BLS will also make local experts available to the Resident in support of the specific research being conducted. The € 2,000 stipend is intended for use as pocket money during the course of the six weeks that the Resident is conducting research in South Tyrol.
In addition, the Resident will win participation in the 2012 RACCONTI #1 Retreat, which will take place from January 26th through 29th, 2012, in one of South Tyrol’s most beautiful and remote valleys, the Val Sarentino (Sarntal). BLS will cover the costs of lodging at the four-star Bad Schörgau Hotel, meals, and workshops with the RACCONTI #1 Creative Advisors at Rohrerhaus Farm.
Script Lab Guidelines
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Rules & Regulations
Rules & Regulations
OBJECTIVE
The RACCONTI #1 screenwriting competition, developed by BLS Südtirol Alto Adige, is intended to encourage the development of material for films that enhance South Tyrol as a film location. By reaching out to foreign screenwriters who have ideas with a thematic, cultural or historical reference to South Tyrol, BLS hopes to attract film producers to the region and further develop the infrastructure for location filming. By reaching out to South Tyrolean screenwriters who are free in their choice of materials, BLS hopes to discover and promote local talent, which in turn strengthens the local film infrastructure. The RACCONTI #1 initiative is designed to further the long-term development of the local film sector and South Tyrol as a film location.APPLICATIONS
Screenwriters who wish to participate in the competition must complete the application form provided (please see www.bls.info/en/racconti) completely and truthfully and send it to BLS together with a one pager (summary of the story, max. 1 page, Courier New, font size 12, line spacing 1.5, in English), a story outline (3-5 pages, Courier New, font size 12, line spacing 1.5, in English, Italian or German), a written scene from the submitted project (1-2 pages, Courier New, font size 12, line spacing 1.5, in English, Italian or German), a biography of the screenwriter (in English), and a free sample of his work (option). Applications can be submitted online or by post. Post address: BLS - Business Location Südtirol - Alto Adige, RACCONTI #1, Passaggio Duomo 15, I - 39100 BolzanoLANGUAGES
The story outline, written scene, and work sample cam be written in Italian, German or English.
The one-pager and the biography must be written in English.
Writers selected for the Script Lab agree to send an English-language version of their story outline to BLS by the 2nd of January 2012. The Creative Advisors need these in order to prepare for the retreat, since the Script Lab will be held in English.DEADLINE
The closing date of the competition is November 15th, 2011. The deadline for online submissions is midnight. Entries sent by post must reach the BLS in Bolzano by 5:00 p.m. A postmark on November 15th is not valid. The submission packages will first be checked for formal correctness. Then a jury of experts will select the 10 best projects. There are no restrictions placed on the jury in terms of choosing projects.NOTIFICATION
BLS will notify the writers of the 10 projects selected by the jury on the 19th of December 2011.2nd THROUGH 10th PRIZE
The writers who place 2nd through 10th will be awarded participation in the RACCONTI #1 Script Lab, a three-day workshop with international screenwriting experts. The retreat will take place in South Tyrol from the 26th to 29th of January 2012. BLS assumes the costs for the seminar, and provides room and board. After the workshop, each participating screenwriter will have the opportunity to further develop their project through a series of online individual dramaturgical consultations with the screenwriting experts.The writers invited to participate in the workshop assert their willingness to furnish BLS with an English-language version of their story outline in advance of the start of the workshop. Due date: January 2nd, 2012.
Prizes cannot be paid in cash, are not saleable, and are not transferable to another person.
FIRST PRIZE
The overall winner of the screenwriting competition receives a six-week research stay in South Tyrol in addition to free participation in the RACCONTI #1 Script Lab. This six-week research stay, called the RACCONTI #1 Residency, is intended for the development of the selected material into a viable treatment. The Resident may do his or her residency in South Tyrol within 2012. Lodging with half-board for the duration of the Residency will be provided. In addition, local experts will be made available to the Resident in order to answer technical questions about the material. The site of the Residency will be selected in consultation between BLS and the Resident, taking the submitted project into account.The prize cannot be paid in cash, is not saleable, and is not transferable to another person.
The winners will be announced on December 19th, 2011.
ALTERNATE PRIZE WINNERS
If, for any reason, a prize-winner cannot accept his or her prize, the jury will award that prize to another screenwriter.THE PITCH
At the conclusion of the RACCONTI #1 Script Lab, BLS will select the three projects that are most developed and invite the writers to pitch their material to a select group of producers from Italy, Austria, and Germany at the INCONTRI #2 meeting. The INCONTRI #2 meeting, set up by BLS to facilitate cross-cultural co-productions, will take place in mid-April 2012, during the course of the Bolzano Film Festival. BLS will assume the cost of travel, lodging and meals and will arrange for professional pitch training immediately prior to the meeting.PROMOTION OF PROJECTS
BLS will gather the material of the 10 screenwriters who participate in the RACCONTI #1 Script Lab into a promotional brochure and distribute it to producers at the INCONTRI #2 meeting and at other industry events.PRIVACY
The personal data of all participants will be used only to determine the winner of the competition, and not for promotional purposes. Participants in the competition may correct or supplement their data at any time and, as long as statutory conditions are met, request that their personal data be deleted (article 7, paragraph 4). By disclosure of his or her personal data, participants in the competition authorise its use for the purposes outlined above. The owner of the data is BLS Südtirol - Alto Adige. The individual responsible for processing personal data is Martha Gärber. -
Timeline & Deadlines
Timeline & Deadlines
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
November 15th, 2011
Online applications: midnight
Applications by post: must arrive at the BLS office by 5:00 p.m.RACCONTI #1 RETREAT:
January 26th - 29th, 2012RACCONTI #1 RESIDENCY:
A six-week period within 2012ONLINE FOLLOW UP:
February / March 2012PITCH AT INCONTRI #1:
Mid-April 2012APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR DEVELOPMENT FUNDING FROM BLS:
September 2012
Jury & Creative Advisors
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Creative Advisors
Creative Advisors
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The Jury
The Jury
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Contact
Carmen Cian
Production & Location Service
T +39 0471 066 626
cian@bls.info