A training programme on film criticism directed at writers, critics, bloggers, journalists and filmmakers who share an interest in writing critically about films, the workshop introduced the practice of film criticism to ten young writers from Kosovo, Macedonia, Slovakia, Romania and Poland.
The programme was only one part of Visegrad Bridge, an interactive initiative for current and future film professionals from the Visegrad countries and the Balkans. Intended to develop mutual understanding between the Visegrad and Balkan countries in order to facilitate future partnerships and international collaborations, Visegrad Bridge also includes two other workshops, Balkan Calling and Meet the Festivals. The project is a collaborative initiative between DokuFest, Institute of Documentary Film Czech Republik, Slovak Film Institute and Bialystok Cultural Centre from Poland. It is funded by Slovakia's International Visegrad Fund - more details about which can be found here.
Providing participants with the critical tools to help them develop their own style, the Common Ground Film Critics Workshop entailed reading exercises, group viewings, group discussions, writing assignments and talks from established critics, journalists, commissioning editors and programmers.
The first Common Ground Film Critics Workshop was devised, organised and led by Melanie Sevcenko and Michael Pattison.
More information on Dokufest 2014 can be found here.
More details about the Visegrad Bridge project can be found here.
