With Maria Gracia Turgeon (Brotherhood, Fauve, PRE-DRINK)

Registration deadline: Tuesday, November 22nd 2022 at 11:59pm. 
Cost for participants: $300
Total training time: 33h (31h of courses + 2h of mentoring)

Main Film, dedicated to independent filmmaking, continues its mission to accompany emerging filmmakers further. We offer a complete and affordable professional training program focused on financing your short fiction film.

This training given by Maria Gracia Turgeon will allow you to discover in depth :

• The main institutions likely to support your project financially as well as the specifities of each.
• Study, analyze and comment on submitted applications that have either been funded or refused by these different institutions.
• The key elements to master for submit a relevant grant application (in particular the intent note and the budget).

As well as a two-hour personalized mentorship on each project.

The workshop will focus on practice in order to make the concepts and the lessons presented more concrete and easier to assimilate.

The workshop is open to 8 people. Ideally, people following the training program have a short fiction film application ready to be submitted or have already submitted a file that has been refused. This file will be submitted to the instructor.

The training is intended for independent media arts workers living on the island of Montreal.

Your application must be sent to directeur@mainfilm.qc.ca before November 22nd 2022 at 11:59 pm. It will include :

• A letter of motivation
• An artistic CV
• A link to a pevious project
• If available – Short fiction film application file including:
  • a synopsis
  • a cinematographic treatment
  • a script (if available)

Workshop is given in French but questions may be asked in English

The workshops will be given in person.

Detailed calendar:

• Thursday, December 1st from 6pm to 9pm – Course 1 (3h)
  Introduction to the workshop and presentation of the instructor, the group members and the projects.
• Sunday, December 4th from 10am to 4pm – Course 2 (5h + 1h break)
  Detailed presentation of the institutions that fund independent film.
• Saturday, December 10th from 10am to 4pm – Course 3 (5h + 1h break)
  Analysis of a grant application.
• Sunday, December 11th from 10am to 5pm – Course 4 (6h + 1h break)
  Budget and legal obligations
• Saturday, December 17th from 10am to 5pm – Cours 5 (6h + 1h break)
  Study of participants’ files
• Sunday, December 18th from 10am to 5pm – Course 6 (6h + 1h break)
  Study of participants’ files
• From January 9th to March 11th: Private consultation meetings (2 hours per participant).

Health measures related to COVID-19:

• Wearing a mask is at the discretion of the participants. However, Main Film recommends that you wear it at least when you go inside.
• Participants will be required to disinfect themselves upon entering the center and before touching the equipment. A hydroalcoholic solution will be provided.
• Participants will be asked to limit their movements.

Maria Gracia Turgeon

Passionate about innovative storytelling and the power of images, Maria Gracia Turgeon co-founded the production company Midi La Nuit with Annick Blanc. Twice nominated for an Oscar, she has produced, among others, Brotherhood by Meryam Joobeur (Oscar Nominee 2020, Best Canadian Short Film TIFF 2018, Sundance), La Couleur de tes lèvres by Annick Blanc (Canadian Screen Award, Best Fantastic Short – Austin Fantastic Fest 2019), Fauve by Jérémy Comte (Oscar nominee 2019, Sundance Special Jury Award 2018, Telluride) PRE-DRINK by Marc-Antoine Lemire (Best Canadian Short TIFF 2017, Iris Award 2018) and How Tommy Lemenchick Became A Grade 7 Legend by Bastien Alexandre (Tribeca 2018). She is currently developing several feature films with talented collaborators. She has also executive produced short films such as Oh What A Wonderfull Feeling by François Jaros (Semaine de la Critique Cannes) and Born In The Maelstrom by Meryam Joobeur with Sasha Lane (American Honey).