DIRECTOR'S VILLAGE

Directors Village is an intensive 5-day on-site program designed to empower emerging filmmakers, specifically directors who have also written their own short film projects, with the essential skills and knowledge to bring their vision to life. This immersive program provides participants with a unique opportunity to refine their craft, collaborate with peers, and gain valuable insights from industry experts.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• In-depth script development: Participants will explore script development, learning techniques to strengthen their storytelling, character development, and overall narrative structure.
• Director’s vision and directing actors: Through hands-on coaching and group workshops, participants will cultivate their unique director’s vision and learn effective strategies for collaborating with actors to achieve their creative goals.
• Networking and collaboration: The program fosters a supportive community of like-minded individuals, encouraging participants to connect, share ideas, and build lasting relationships with their peers.

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PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY

• Directors who have written their own short film project currently in development.
• Must have directed at least one short film.
• Selected by Screen Talent Europe Network partners.
• Open to applicants from any STE partner country.

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COACHING STAFF

• Janneke van Heesch
• Martin Strange-Hansen

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The program will feature two group sessions each day, led by experienced coaches. Participants will have the opportunity to work with both coaches and interact with different peers throughout the week.

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LOCATION

The five-day residency will be held at CineSud Office in Heerlen and Social Hub Maastricht, Netherlands, from March 18-22, 2026. Hotel accommodations and provisions will be provided for all participants. The program will be capped at 8 participants, who will be divided into two groups for interactive sessions.

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SELECTION PROCESS

• July 31, 2025 - Start submissions
• December 1, 2025 - Finish submissions
• December 2-16, 2025 - Selection process by partners
• December 17, 2025 - Notification and confirmation of participation

PROGRAMME

Tuesday, March 17 - Heerlen: Arrival

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Wednesday, March 18 - Heerlen

• 10:30-11:00: Arrival & Kick-off
• 11:00-15:30 Get-together Session | The Director’s Playground
• 15:30-19:30 Screening Directors Village Special & Networking Dinner

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Thursday, March 19 - Maastricht

• 09:30-17:30: Group Session | Writers Room: Script Development
• 18:30-20:30: Networking Dinner

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Friday, March 20 - Maastricht

• 09:30-17:30: Group Session | Directing: Find Your Directors Vision
• 18:30-20:30: Networking Dinner

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Saturday, March 21 - Maastricht

• 09:30-17:30: Workshop | Directing: Working with Actors
• 18:30-20:30: Networking Dinner

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Sunday, March 22 - Maastricht

• 09:30-17:30: Group Session | Directing: Scene Analysis

    18:00-20:30: Farewell Networking Dinner

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Monday, March 23

    Departure

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WHO AND WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

The participants of Directors Village are directors-writers who are working on their new short fiction film. In order to be eligible for the submission, the director-writer needs to hav already directed at least one short film. The submissions are limited to one short project per applicant.

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HOW TO APPLY

Directors Village is a collaboration between CineSud, Screen Talent Europe and its partners. To submit your project, please read the details below and fill in the form. Participation in the Director’s Village is limited to twelve selected filmmakers.

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SPONSORED SUBMISSION

Several spots are sponsored by the Screen Talent Europe partners listed below. You may be eligible for sponsorship if you live in the region of a listed partner and/or have an active connection to that partner (e.g. previous participation or collaboration).

• Filmmakers from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Ireland are eligible to submit if the film workshop in their region is one of the Screen Talent Europe partners; Aarhus Film Workshop, Ardán, CineNord, FilmCloud, Film Stockholm, GMAC, Mediefabrikken, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holtsein, Odense Film Workshop and Tvibit Film. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, we recommend contracting your preferred partner before submitting your application. Your application will be assessed by your local partner.
• Want to apply via CineSud? In case your are not a Club CineSud-member, please contract us first via info@cinesud.nl to confirm you are eligible to apply.
• The participation fee is covered by the partner mentioned above (The program covers workshop, accommodation and catering costs for the selected participants. Traveling may be fully/partially covered by the respective partners up to a limit. For more information about travel costs, please contract your local partner).

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INDEPENDENT SUBMISSION

In case you are not connected with one of the Screen Talent Europe partners listed above, you can also apply via an open call.

• One spot is available for filmmalers from all over the world, who are not eligible to apply via a partner mentioned above.
• The participation fee (after selection) is €1000 excl. VAT (21%).

Application deadline: Monday 1 December 2025, 11.59 CEST.

Selection announcement: Monday 12 January 2026.

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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

To apply, fill in the application form via the button below and provide us with the following documents (combined in one PDF of max. 25 pages and 5 mb-If the materials are bigger than asked for, the project will not be taken into consideration.):

• Tagline, logline, synopsis, genre, duration of the project (max. 1 page);
• Motivation (Why would you like to participate?) (max. 1 page);
• Director’s vision (max. 1 page);
• (Short) biographies of yourself and other key crew/cast-members (if applicable) (max. 1 page);
• Moodboard and/or other relevant extra information (screeners of former work are recommended) (max. 1 page);
• Script (max. 20 pages).

If you apply to the following Screen Talent Europe partners (Aarhus Film Workshop, Ardán, CineNord, CineSud, FilmCloud, Film Stockholm, GMAC, Mediefabrikken, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holtsein, Odense Film Workshop and Tvibit Film), you can submit the application in your native language or in English.

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In case you submit in your native language, it will need to be translated by the applicant into English after the project is selected.

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Form to submit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSexZLKX-2Unt_m8_wZE0lNFSE1-mq_iPozxVYYeLZQi3qS-Hw/viewform

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QUOTES

”Overall, the experience was amazing - truly the best thing I’ve ever done. The crew’s involvement and the organic atmosphere made it unforgettable. As my first residency, it was life-changing to have my work read, studied, and discussed. It taught me to trust myself as a director and the stories I want to tell. It you’re serious about directing, you’ll get so much out of this”

Lauriane Almeda - CineNord/CineSud (the Netherlands), Director’s Village 2025

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“It was a true pleasure to join Directors’s Village and meet this warm, talented group. CineSud’s safe, welcoming organisation, inspiring coaches, and the joyful bond with fellow filmmakers have enriched my project and given me lifelong memories. I highly recommend it to all who with to grow as filmmakers while having a great time!”

Adam Starsmark - FilmCloud (Sweden), Director’s Village 2022

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ORGANISATION

Directors Village is a unique training program organized by CineSud. The program is organized in collaboration with our dear partners of Screen Talent Europe.

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ABOUT SCREEN TALENT EUROPE

Screen Talent Europe is a network of film workshops and media centres in Europe. The purpose of the network is to promote and foster co-operation between partners, help filmmakers exchange knowledge, experiences and methods through talent camps, network meetings and co-productions. The network collaborates to produce international talent development projects such as pitching forums, film production camps, networking and social events. Furthermore, Screen Talent Europe works to strengthen the workshop model for support-based talent development and also assists countries in Europe currently without film workshops in developing similar resources and models.

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Read more about Director’s Village 2026 HERE