Dear colleagues,

I have the pleasure to invite you to take part in a project called SNOWE – Women in Film, Creative Networking.

 

The project was founded by Balkan New Film Festival – BaNeFF in Stockholm, in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden in Belgrade and supported by the Swedish Institute. It aims at reaching out to women who create films in Sweden and South East Europe. (SNOWE stands for South North West & East).

 

The project will start in autumn 2014 with a study visit in Belgrade, Serbia, by a group of women, film creators from Sweden.  We would like to invite you to be one of the members of this study visit that will take place 16-23 October 2014.

During a couple of days you will have the opportunity to get insights into many organizations dealing with film productions, communications and to meet women who are creating film in a world that is traditionally dominated by men.

 

Therefore, we would appreciate if you could share your experiences and views regarding the challenges and opportunities that women in general meet in the film industry. Because, only through interactions and dialogues, we can find new inspirations and strength to overcome the challenges that women in film usually are faced with, in whichever country they live in.

 

As we also would like to use this opportunity to present you as film creators, regarding possibility for future collaboration. We will also arrange screenings of one of swedish guests films that will take place during the study visit. The screenings would be open for the public in the Yugoslav Cinemateque, a state owned film institution that has one of the oldest film collections in Europe, and that is acknowledged as one of the most important cultural institutions in the country.

 

Some of the key directions and messages in this project are the following:

• The films that will be presented should be of a newer date (not older than 3-4 years)

• The films should aim at artistic qualities and should not advocate any specific political views.
• The overall topic is Women’s position in Film industry both as creators and decision makers.

 

In this context we would like to specifically raise the question of how to empower the womans’ role in the film branch? Namely, in order to take projects to the next level in the film industry, there is a need of solid creative leaders – decision makers, and it is in this area that we find it possible and necessary to highlight the woman’s potentials.

We hope that this study visit will be one in a line of many planned activities, aimed at creating channels of communication and areas of exchange of knowledge, experience and possible collaborations. It is planned to develop into a cooperation in both directions between Sweden and Serbia, and therefore we would appreciate very much if you would like to be a part of it.
Should you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Jelena Mila

SNOWE – founder and coordinator