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2024

m2 Film Development Program 2024

m2 Film Development Program, in collaboration with the Global Media Makers (GMM) program by Film Independent in America and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State, will allow filmmakers working on their first or second feature-length film to develop their projects for one year through script development workshops, one-on-one mentoring sessions and online film talks.

Selected project teams will conduct an intensive script development workshop with GMM mentors Ruth Atkinson and Neal Dhand, and Turkish scriptwriter-director Ali Vatansever, both as a group and individually. The August session of the event will take place in Istanbul for five days. Project owners selected within the program will continue to receive mentoring on script development, production, distribution, and marketing until May 2025. They will have the opportunity to develop both themselves and their projects in harmony with the industry by participating in physical meetings, online masterclasses and case studies.

Selected Projects 2024

Mentors

RUTH ATKINSON

Ruth Atkinson is a Los Angeles-based story editor and script consultant with over 25 years of experience in the film/television business. Ruth has consulted on many award-winning feature and short films distributed around the world. She is also a screenwriting mentor/advisor for Film Independent’s Project Involve, Global Media Makers, and Screenwriters and Directors Labs as well as the facilitator and mentor for the Whistler Film Festival Screenwriters Lab held annually in British Columbia, Canada.

RUTH ATKINSON

ERICK CASTRILLON

Neal Dhand is a writer, director, producer, and teacher from Philadelphia. He makes genre films that are socially aware and frequently revisionist. Neal directed the feature film Dark My Light, a sci-fi drama and thriller for the modern age. It’s currently in post-production for a 2023 release. His films include selections at the Bucheon International Fantastic FF, Sidewalk FF, Cinequest, and many others. His screenplays have placed in the Nicholl Fellowship, American Zoetrope, and Austin.
Neal has taught screenwriting, directing, producing, and film analysis at universities in Pennsylvania, New York, and the Czech Republic. 
Castrillon is a Colombian-American screenwriter, director, musician, and professor at the University of Southern California. His debut feature film Blast Beat premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. In 2021, he consulted on the Oscar-winning animated film Encanto. He has participated in programs like the FOX Writers Lab, Film Independent’s Project Involve, and the NALIP Latino Lens Incubator. Currently, he’s part of the writing team for the TV show 90 Minutos and is recording an album with his band Cañeros. Castrillon holds an M.F.A. from USC and a B.A. from FIU.

ALI VATANSEVER

SELIN VATANSEVER

Screenwriter, director and academician Ali Vatansever participated in many script and project development workshops with his latest feature film Saf, such as SundanceLab Istanbul, Sources2, Global Media Makers and Meetings on the Bridge. Ali teaches film at Koç University and Kadir Has University. He has received screenplay mentoring training at Sources2 and currently acts as advisor to various feature projects and AR/VR experiences at KARMA Lab.
Selin’s feature film production experience started with line production services for European and American film crews. Co-founded Terminal in 2008, she acts as a producer and production mentor. She produced Saf, a European co-production that premiered in Toronto Film Festival 2018. Selin has participated in many international production markets with her film projects.

IMRE TEZEL

MÜGE ÖZEN

Cultural manager Imre Tezel founded PAZ Istanbul, a communication and project agency, after serving as the general coordinator of !f Istanbul International Independent Film Festival and director of Baska Sinema. She is currently conducting marketing and event projects for the cultural sector at PAZ and developing film and TV series. At the same time, she continues her master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology at Bosphorus University.
After graduating from Galatasaray University, Faculty of Communication, Müge worked in the film acquisitions of D Productions and Mars Entertainment Group. Now she works as a producer at AC Film and Solis Film, latter of of which she has founded. Providing training to filmmakers under the Solis Cinema Sessions brand, Müge acted as the joint director of Antalya Film Forum in 2021.

OYA OZDEN

Born in Lüleburgaz, Oya studied Finance at Trakya University. In 2005, she transitioned to film, working as a financial affairs coordinator for directors like Joseph Ruben and Can Evrenol. Since 2009, Oya has produced features, corporate videos, and documentaries with Terminal Film, including El Yazısı (2012) and Saf (2018), which premiered at Toronto Film Festival. She also works freelance as a financial affairs coordinator and line producer.

GUEST MENTORS

CLAIRE GRIOIS

ANASTASIA FEUILLET

Born in 1996, Claire Griois is a French screenwriter, film director and novels author based in Paris. Her first produced short film, LAND, was screened by France Televisions. She is currently co-writing features and working on her next short and first own feature films. She is also a screenplay teacher and directing mentor. She is represented by Juliette Javaux (Time Art Agency). 
After earning a master’s in Political Sciences and working as a line producer for eight years, Anastasia rediscovered her passion for writing. She specializes in screenwriting, trained in dramaturgy at ENS Louis Lumière and CEEA’s TV Series Workshop. Anastasia has participated in prestigious residencies like SOFILM de genre and Wildwest, focusing on short and feature films. Her screenplay “Sans transition” was produced by Le Collectif 64 and selected for Wscripted’s « Second Cannes screenplay list 2022 ». She enjoys creating characters who challenge their beliefs in dark comedy and genre stories. Alongside consulting for broadcasters like ARTE and SND, Anastasia co-writes projects such as “Pour le pire,” an 8×26 dramedy on marriage, and “Tranquillité,” a thriller supported by the Grand Est region, co-written with director Sébastien Auger.

Serial Bridges Istanbul 2024

Selected Projects 2024

Mentors

Deniz Akçay – Marc Lorber

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