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m2 Film Lab is a sectoral development platform that provides project development, screenwriting and production mentorship to filmmakers in Turkey.

m2 Series Writing Workshop 2023

We aim to bring forth qualified writers in the TV series industry with our new workshop. Click for detailed information and application.

m2 Seminar 2023 Characters&Transformation

m2 mentor Neal Dhand will discuss how to write a complete and complex character introduction and showcase the potential for character transformation. Click here to register.

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m2 Film Development Program 2023

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 face-to-face 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 face-to-face 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 2024. 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

Mentors

RUTH ATKINSON

NEAL DHAND

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.
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. 

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.

2023 Important Dates
March 13 – Call for Film Projects
May 19 – Deadline for Submissions
June 12 – Announcement of the Selected Projects
July 10 – Deadline for English Materials Submissions
August 10-14 – m2 Script Development Workshop

FAQ

Who can apply to the workshop?

First or second feature-length fiction film projects from Turkey, that are in development phase can apply.

Is it a paid event?

Participation is free of charge.

Will the event be entirely face-to-face?

The film development program will start with a five-day face-to-face script development workshop in August. The events that will be held in the following months will continue either physically and/or online. A detailed program schedule will be shared with the participants.

Is the event open to everyone?

The script / film development workshop ‘s only open to selected project teams. When the dates for cinema talks and case studies are approaching, free registration will be available. Please stay tuned.

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Can I apply with more than one project?

Scriptwriters and directors can apply with only one project, while producers can apply with more than one project.

How many projects will be selected?

A maximum of 9 projects among the applications will be selected for the workshop.

What is the event language?

All events will be conducted in English.

Will my English be enough?

In order to get maximum benefit from the workshop, at least one person from the participating teams should be able to express themselves comfortably in English. There are no translators in m2 Workshops.

How are applications evaluated?

Applications will be evaluated by an independent jury of industry professionals. The m2 team can attend the jury meetings and express their opinions.

Do I need to submit a treatment or a screenplay during the application?

You need to submit a treatment between 8-12 pages or a script. The script mentoring sessions during the script development workshop in August will be held based on the text you have submitted during the application.

I live outside of Istanbul. If my project is selected, will you provide accommodation support?

The selected project owners are responsible for meeting the accommodation costs themselves.

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