The Program Offers
* We are currently not accepting any applications for the 2-year main filmmaking programme*
*Please check our AMPI+ page for the AMPI+ Open Calls*
A 2 year fee-free intensive and hands-on filmmaking program taught by mobile and Finnish film industry professionals. The program includes a variety of workshops in which the participants will acquire and exchange knowledge about the various tools of filmmaking such as directing, scriptwriting, editing, lighting & cinematography, acting, producing, sound recording & editing, and film & critical theories. You will get familiar with how to work within the local and global film industry, how to network, how to apply for grants, etc.
• With the full support of the Academy and its resources, the participants will get to make their own short films under the guidance of mobile filmmakers and Finnish film industry professionals, performing all the essential roles necessary to realise their films. At the moment, the academy can support its participants’ short films by providing the filming equipment and its transportation. We encourage and teach our participants to find creative ways in which they can make their films with no or very low budget. The films’ length will be 10 minutes max.
• The classes/workshops will take place from the beginning of April 2021 until the end of October 2022. During this time we will go through the creative writing-scriptwriting and script development, project pitching, pre-production, production and post-production of the participants’ short films.
• Once the short films are ready, AMPI will organize a public screening of the films in Helsinki.
• After finishing the AMPI two-year program, the participants’ collaboration with the Academy will continue in the future in different forms as AMPI alumni.
• The Academy provides wider professional support and access to resources, communities and different networks.
• The Academy can host a maximum of 8 participants for the AMPI two-year program (2021-2022)
Who Is Eligible To Apply?
• Academy of Moving People and Images (AMPI) is a non-institutional initiative, an educational platform based in Helsinki for mobile people - those who have arrived in Finland for different reasons, be they immigrants, asylum seekers, students, or employees.
• One of AMPI’s core objectives is to challenge intolerance, structural racism, gender inequality, and the lack of representation of different perspectives within the film industry. AMPI collaborates with other institutions, organisations and individuals to turn these principles into a common mission. We hope these collaborations move us towards a more inclusive film industry, through a process of active participation, collaboration, learning and unlearning.
• AMPI aims to design a new learning model: a sustainable pedagogical platform where people from different backgrounds are able to create through co-working and peer-learning, in order to contribute to a discrimination-free film industry. One of the main goals is to design a sustainable learning model that gives space, possibilities, tools, and skills of filmmaking to mobile people. Through the constant exchange of knowledge between Finnish and mobile filmmaking experts with the participants, we hope the industry becomes more open and diverse.
• Therefore this call is open to all mobile residents in Finland. All mobile residents are welcome to apply regardless of their residency status; temporary or permanent. If you have a Finnish passport or have been raised in Finland but come from a mobile background, you are still eligible to apply. Or if you belong to communities which historically have been subjected to oppression and marginalization such as Sami or Roma people in Finland. The applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
• We also accept applications from mobile people who don’t currently reside in Finland. If in the country of your residence you are considered a mobile person by AMPI’s definition then you are welcome to apply. However, the priority is with those already residing in Finland. It also has to be noted that being accepted in AMPI will not help with acquiring a residence permit in Finland and the AMPI participation does not make you eligible for receiving the study grant from Kela, since we are a non-institutional initiative, not an established or registered institution of higher education.
• Prior production experience is not a prerequisite for getting accepted but is of course welcome. However, participants must work with self-discipline and mutual respect. We encourage everyone from a wide spectrum of backgrounds to apply. Having a passion for cinema and filmmaking, and the determination to choose it as a career path is what we value the most.
• The language of the Academy is English. All teaching, exercise and practise material are provided in English but you can make your film in the language(s) that you think it's relevant to your story.
• The workshops will involve a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of 78 hours of participation per month. Participation and attendance to the workshops are of utmost importance to us. By applying to this open call, you agree to commit to attending at least 80% of the workshops. The academy’s schedule for each month will be published one month in advance.
• We are aware that most of our participants work while studying at AMPI, we restructured the duration of the program in order to have a more flexible schedule for the participants, which helps them to schedule their work together with the AMPI 2-years filmmaking program. Still, there are some periods that the program is intensive and time-consuming, therefore we ask our participants to make AMPI a priority and all participants MUST be fully available to work on all films in pre-production and production from March to June of 2022.
• Apart from the workshops, the program consists of 1-on-1 scriptwriting, script development, directing, acting, cinematography, image and sound editing tutoring sessions with participants. Each lecturer has a certain amount of hours to dedicate to each participant.
• AMPI’s program includes a variety of workshops in different fields of filmmaking. We require participants to attend and participate in all workshops regardless of their personal preferences in what field they’d like to pursue in the future.
All applicants should fulfill the following requirements and send them by January 31st, 2021. All the submitted material must be in English. Upload everything through the application form:
Application
1. Motivation letter
The motivation letter can be in any form: text, video or sound piece, etc. (In English or with English subtitles).
In the motivation letter, we value your creativity in expression more than anything.
A few questions to have in mind while working on your motivation letter:
We’d like to know who you are, what you want, and what makes you interested in this academy?
What shaped you as a person and what drives you as a storyteller?
What has drawn you towards cinema and filmmaking as a profession?
What are you expecting from the academy and what are you hoping to achieve after finishing your studies?
Is there a specific field in the filmmaking process such as directing, scriptwriting, cinematography, producing, acting, editing, etc. that you are interested in pursuing in the future?.
2. A Curriculum Vitae (CV)
3. 1 idea for a short film (max 10 min)
• The ideas have to be of your own, written for the short film that you would potentially like to make in AMPI once you get admitted.
• The submitted film ideas should be for a short film of max 10 min. The ideas can be submitted as a brief synopsis maximum of 800 words together with the 3 first scenes of your short script.
4. Optional: Portfolio of any previous visual works - short film, photography, painting, drawing, link to a video, etc. that best represent your work (in PDF format, A4 pages).
• The application deadline is January 31st 2021, by 12AM.
• The shortlisted participants will be invited for a conversation with the AMPI’s artistic director together with three AMPI lecturers and one of the AMPI advisory board members, in the second half of February.
• The decision will be made by the jury consisting of the artistic director, the team of lecturers and advisors.
• You will be notified of the results by March 15th.
• We advise you to go through our website carefully and read about us, our mission and our activities. If you have any questions regarding the application please contact us via our email: academyofmovingpeopleandimages@gmail.com