ONSITE
10-19 NOV 2023
ONLINE
15-28 JAN 2024

Cinema Pendent Call for Projects

The eleventh edition of Cinema Pendent in l’Alternativa Pro kicks off at the Barcelona Centre for Contemporary Culture (CCCB) between 10 and 19 November 2023.

Cinema Pendent encompasses a series of activities run by l’Alternativa Pro to boost the development of independently produced films and audiovisual projects. Held as part of the Barcelona Independent Film Festival, l'Alternativa, it makes the most of the festival as a powerful platform for giving a voice to bold, original projects and endeavours to increase the opportunities for creation, production and distribution in the independent filmmaking industry.

With this in mind, shortlisted projects are invited to participate in a range of carefully targeted activities aimed at honing their creative potential and making the most of the pathways available to bring them to completion and put them into circulation. These activities include development workshops, training in how best to communicate a project and pitch it to industry representatives, and scheduled meetings with creative managers, producers, sales agents and film programmers. In addition, experts and participants have ample opportunities for improvised meetings between filmmaking professionals from many fields of expertise.

All shortlisted projects have the chance to win one of the Cinema Pendent prizes.

All shortlisted projects have the chance of being selected to take part in the programme of Cinema Pendent activities.


Programme of activities for Cinema Pendent Shortlisted Projects

Mentoring Projects
The directors, screenwriters and producers of five documentary or hybrid feature-film projects at the writing stage will be selected to take part in a year-long programme of support comprising group sessions with industry professionals who will be involved in the artistic process right up until the production stage. Over the course of twelve months, participants will work on their projects, giving and receiving feedback to and from their peers and hired experts. Envisaged activities include assistance with writing a screenplay, presenting a dossier, designing funding strategies, drawing up contracts and agreements, selecting forms of distribution and targeting audiences. The series of monthly meetings will get under way in person at l’Alternativa and will then continue online as both individual and group sessions.

Check out Mentoring Projects 2022


Project Development Lab
The directors, screenwriters and producers of four fiction documentary or hybrid feature-film projects at the development stage will be selected to take part in this four-day lab to work on concept, structure, narrative development and cinematic style. Participants will use interactive and participatory methodologies to help give filmmakers and producers a better grasp and deeper understanding of their own projects and equip them with a work plan for later development.

Check out Project Development Lab 2022


WIP Screenings
The filmmakers and producers of four works-in-progress at the editing stage will be called to present a 10/12-minute clip of their work. This viewing session will be open to all accredited professionals at the festival. Invitations are sent out to festival programmers, exhibitors, producers, distributors, sales agents and film library representatives across Spain and worldwide.

Check out WIP Screenings 2022


Extremlab
Six shortlisted projects by current or recently graduated film students will be selected for this initiative to further their development and give filmmakers’ careers a boost. They will be invited to take part in l’Alternativa Pro activities and Cinema Pendent arranged meetings and will also attend an Extremlab residency in Badajoz between 16 and 29 February 2024, where they will participate in an intensive series of in-person workshops and tutorials that will then continue on line. The aim is to foster collaborations between creators, producers, financial backers and filmgoers by creating opportunities for network training, one-to-one meetings and professional development sessions organised by the film production company Novena Nube in order to equip filmmakers with the knowledge, expertise and confidence in networking required to forge a career in creative filmmaking and responsible, sustainable production. This is a unique opportunity for young filmmakers to gain unparalleled access to industry experts and learn vital lessons in the craft of filmmaking which they can then use to explore and develop their own projects to the full.

Check out Extremlab 2022


10th GAC Pitching Forum
One shortlisted feature-film project will go through to take part in the 10th Pitching Forum to be offered by Guionistes Associats de Catalunya as part of l'Alternativa Pro. After receiving advice on how to make a pitch, it will be included in the presentation and one-to-one sessions designed to forge direct ties between the different players in the audiovisual world by boosting the positioning, development and production of projects with a powerful screenplay.

Check out the 9th GAC Pitching Forum in 2022


Acció Cinema Mentoring
Two shortlisted projects covering social issues and being carried out from within or in partnership with international cooperation organisations will receive advice on institutional collaborations and guidance on how to go about producing these kinds of films. This Acció Cinema initiative by Catalunya Film Festivals, in collaboration with the Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament and the Departament de Cultura, seeks to promote audiovisual creation as a powerful tool for educating critically minded citizens determined to make the world a better place.

Check out Acció Cinema Mentoring 2022


Molins Horror Film Festival Industry Day
One shortlisted feature-film project will go through to take part in the Industry Day at the Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival. This event aims to offer a meeting point between up-and-coming horror and gore filmmakers and industry professionals and includes networking opportunities, talks, workshops and project pitchings to help bring projects to fruition.


Personalised Advice Sessions
Participants with shortlisted projects are called to meetings with experts in accordance with their particular needs, as identified by reading through their submitted project or following discussions of requirements. A carefully selected mix of accomplished screenwriters, consultants, producers, distributors, commissioners, editors, sales agents, festival programmers and institutional representatives will be invited as experts to ensure sessions are as productive as possible.


Professional Accreditation
Participants with shortlisted projects will be issued with professional accreditation to attend all festival screenings and l’Alternativa Pro activities.


Meeting Points
In addition to the specific activities for each project, l’Alternativa Pro also organises a series of lunches, social get-togethers and parties offering participants further opportunities to engage accredited professionals in conversation.


Project Follow-Up
Projects will receive ongoing support on social media and newsletters until they finally reach the big screen.

We also employ our in-depth knowledge of filmmakers’ careers and expectations to arrange on-the-spot meetings and help forge ties between industry experts and project participants.


Regulations and Further Details

Aims
  • Increase the opportunities for creating, producing and distributing up-and-coming films and promote gender and age equality throughout the industry.
  • Give a boost to innovative audiovisual projects by equipping filmmakers with key tools through training and education activities and meetings with professionals.
  • Support, accompany and tutor original, experimental projects by creators and producers at an early stage of development.
  • Expand international business opportunities for the Catalan and Spanish audiovisual, filmmaking and screen industries.
  • Bolster l’Alternativa’s role as an international benchmark event for forging ties between independent filmmaking professionals.
  • Boost emerging creators’ and producers’ market access.
  • Expand l’Alternativa’s geographical reach to detect and capture off-the-radar talent.

Aimed At
  • Directors
  • Screenwriters
  • Producers
Format
  • Feature film
  • Short film
  • Series
  • New formats
Project Phases
  • Development
  • Writing
  • Preproduction
  • Production
  • Editing
  • Postproduction
Type of Projects
  • Fiction
  • Nonfiction
  • Hybrid
  • Animation
  • Experimental
Terms and Conditions
  • By submitting a project, you agree to the terms and conditions of this call for projects.
  • You may submit a project if and only if you hold the necessary rights to do so. By submitting a project, you certify that the content of the project complies with current legislation and does not infringe upon any protected works or third parties’ right to freedom from injury to their honour, privacy and own image.
  • You may fill in the entry form and submit documentation in Catalan, Spanish or English. If your project is shortlisted, you’ll be asked to provide more detailed or updated information in English.
  • There is no limit to the number of projects you may enter, but each project needs to be submitted separately, together with payment of the corresponding entry fee.
  • Once the shortlisted projects reach the final stage of production and become finished audiovisual works, the Cinema Pendent 2023 logo should be included in the credits of all copies of the finished work, together with any prizes won.
  • Please include any additional documentation in a single PDF file no bigger than 10 MB. We are aware that works in progress may well go through a number of changes over the course of the selection process. Please keep us updated or send us further information to [email protected] (files should be no bigger than 10 MB and should clearly indicate where any changes have been made).
  • The director, screenwriter and producer expressly accept that requirement that at least one of them should attend activity sessions in person.
  • By submitting a project, you agree that the festival may use the image of participants at the event for promotional purposes.
  • L'Alternativa Pro reserves the right to publish summarised content from shortlisted projects on our website and in a Cinema Pendent dossier. By submitting a project, you agree to provide the necessary information for the dossier within the stipulated timeframe.
  • No feedback will be given on any projects that are not selected.
  • There is a nonrefundable €12 entry fee for each project submitted. A 50% discount is available to accredited students or recent graduates (2023/2024 or 2022/2023 academic year) and to members of the associations listed in the information box.
  • The list of shortlisted projects will be announced in October 2023. Online interviews with representatives of longlisted projects will be held in September 2023.

Assessment Criteria
  • Projects that strongly reflect artistic risk-taking and originality, irrespective of the size of their budget.
  • Projects that explore original subject matter in a striking way.
  • Budget adequacy and possible or confirmed sources of funding.
  • Young creators just embarking on their career.
  • The director’s/screenwriter's/producer’s professional career.
  • Creative teams and crew staffed on the basis of gender parity.
  • Sustainable production models.
  • Languages spoken by the director/screenwriter/producer.
  • Any links to Catalonia and/or Extremadura, including shooting locations, coproductions and cast or crew.
  • The call for projects is now closed
  • We will announce the list of selected projects in September 2023
With funding from
ICAA
Next Generation
Plan de Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia
AC/E ACE (new)
ICEC 2 de los 3 juntos
In collaboration with
Catalan Films 2022
Novena Nube 2023
Extrem Lab 2
GAC 2023
Antaviana Films (new)
Figtree (new)
Río Bravo Cinema Studio
Music Library (new)
Kinolux (new)
Welab
MECAS
REC (new)
LABED
Delta Cafés
Adega Mayor