Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA – Rarely a day goes by without reading or hearing that shooting has started or technical operations have been completed of films for many of ambitious Syrian young men and women, as the Youth Cinema Support project moves forward promisingly for three years now.
The project, which was launched by the General Establishment for Cinema, witnesses an increasingly active movement in various provinces, marking an enthusiasm for cinema that promises a lot on the levels of movie directing and scriptwriting.
In its inception in 2012, the project started as a unit opened at the Cinema Establishment for supporting youth cinema. It was basically aimed at backing young people who are talented in film directing and writing but have not been academically educated.
The unit puts forth projects submitted by the young talents, in script or electronic compies, before a special committee which is to give approval, only for shooting to start after the consents of Production Council and Board of Directors are guaranteed.
“We aim to give the youth hope and an opportunity to give voice to their artistic talents,” met Munir Jebbawi, Production Supervisor, told SANA Culture Bulletin.
He wished the project would come to fruition in “building a cinema generation that would lead the cinema movement in Syria.”
Approved films, which must be of no more than 15 minutes and made within 30 days, are wholly subsidized, including shooting, production, montage, light supply, editing and consulting along with the necessary equipment.
Jebbawi noted that in the beginning, grants were given to 10 filmmakers, while 25 films were covered in the year that followed.
This year, however, 30 grants will be offered out of 1200 applications in the fourth season that was recently launched and will run through November 30th, he said, pointing out that young filmmakers who had already got grants can have more than one chance.
Over the past three years, the Youth Cinema Support project seems to have been met with broader support as it has attracted many renown Syrian actors and actresses who played characters in the subsidized films in a way of encouragement for the beginner filmmakers.
Most importantly, the project has been highly valued by the ambitious talents who see it no less that a broad window through which they may be able to make their dreams come true.
Haifa Said
