The wait is over! Today we’re ready to share our Open Call. AMPI is now seeking 8 new participants for its two-year filmmaking program, the years 2021-2022.
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, organizations, 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, peer-learning, and unlearning.
AMPI’s founder and artistic director is Helsinki-based internationally recognized and award-winning filmmaker Erol Mintas. AMPI’s lecturers’ team conceived many internationally recognized mobile and Finnish film experts. You can check out our team of lecturers, collaborators, and advisors here on our website.
BRAVE STORYTELLING & STORYTELLERS THAT REFLECTS THE CURRENT WORLD AND SOCIETY
We encourage brave storytelling, the participants in AMPI are free to write any stories they wish without any limitation. The participants are taught and encouraged to recognize the misrepresentation of communities that historically have been subjected to oppression and marginalization in the society they are living in, and to be critical towards stereotyping, exotification, vilification, or any other form of othering in the film industry.
The Academy of Moving People and Images (AMPI) does not have a space of its own, the academy operates within the space of its many collaborators such as the Finnish Film Foundation, The University of Arts Helsinki-Theatre Academy, Goethe Institut Finnland, CCL at the Department of Film & Television & Scenography-Aalto ARTS, HIAP, Aalto University-VICCA, Caisa, Design Museum, Museum of Impossible Forms, Taidekoulu MAA, GAP, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Publics, Helsinki Vocational Adult Institute-Stage and Theatre Technology /Make-up, Baltic Circle, Artlab Productions, Third Space.
Through this mobility, AMPI’s main goal is to function as a common mission for the existing institutions and organizations and make them able to contribute and initiate change together. On the other hand, through this mobility, the AMPI participants get to know the Finnish art scene and surround themselves with a creative network. In our network, we have people well connected with the film industry, who can build a bridge between the industry and the mobile filmmakers.
THE ACADEMY IS SEEKING NEW STORYTELLERS
Each year, a group of mobile people who are currently residing in Finland will get selected. It is not necessary for the participants to have a background in cinema, however, it is important that they have a passion and aspiration for filmmaking and cinema as a medium.
Prior filmmaking experience is not a prerequisite for getting accepted but is welcome. However, participants must work with self-discipline and mutual respect.
The workshops will involve a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of 78 hours of participation per month. The program is intensive and time-consuming, therefore the participants are required to make AMPI a priority.
The open call for new participants is until January 31st, 2021.
Application and more information about the open call can be found from here starting on December 21st, 2020.
WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM OFFER?
AMPI’s program offers a two-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 creative writing, directing, scriptwriting, script development, editing, lighting & cinematography, acting, producing, sound recording & editing, and film & critical theories.
With the full support of AMPI 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 realize their films.
WHAT HAS AMPI ACHIEVED SO FAR?
The first 12 selected participants started their workshops in April 2019 and 11 of them produced their short films during the year. They produced their Graduation Films together with the guidance of AMPI’s team of script development & directing, acting, sound, and cinematography lecturers at their film sets. AMPI’s first public Graduation Screening was held at Bio Rex on the 20th of January 2020.
In 2020 with an Open Call, the 9 selected participants started their workshops in April. The workshops are being held mostly online for the time being due to the Covid-19. Normally our production period was planned to take place in October and November 2020. Because of the situation, we have postponed the productions to 2021.
Apart from the main program, with the support and collaboration of Goethe-Institut Finnland, Museum of Impossible Forms, and Aalto University-Critical Cinema Lab, AMPI co-organized masterclasses with Heiny Srour and Nora Fingscheidt and took the participants on a study trip to Filmverkstaden in Vaasa to learn about analogue film. Our collaboration with Filmverkstaden continues for 2021 and upcoming years.
AMPI has also organized AMPI+ workshops, field-specific one-week workshops in November and December 2019. This new series of workshops is called AMPI Advanced and is meant for the further training of mobile filmmakers who already have some experience with filmmaking. AMPI Advanced was supported by AVEK in 2019.
Under the AMPI+ workshops, AMPI has organized a field-specific filmmaking workshop for AMPI alumni to come back and make a joint film with the Dogme-95 approach, under the Corona pandemic. AMPI|Dogme-95 workshops were for scriptwriting & directing and lighting & cinematography. AMPI|Dogme-95 supported by TAIKE in 2020.
• After the AMPI Graduation Screening in January 2020, YLE TV bought four of the AMPI’s short films:
Dog Day by Jelica Jerinic
Remains by Roxana Sadvokassova’s
Leonarda: Flesh Ain’t Weak by Mariangela Pluchino’s
Paper Promises by Uzair Amjad
• AMPI alumni made Love & Anarchy FF’s shorts trailer. Mariangela Pluchino directed the trailer and conducted the other AMPI alumni as the film crew of the trailer.
• Two AMPI short films selected for the HIFF national short film competition 2020:
Leonarda: Flesh Ain’t Weak by Mariangela Pluchino’s
Paper Promises by Uzair Amjad (Winner of the Audience Award)
• AMPI short film Fog by Aishe Vecdani selected for the curated selection at HIFF, “With the Current..” by Sepideh Rahaa / AV-arkki
• AMPI alumni Fiona Musanga and Shahi Derky curated the autumn film programme of Institut finlandais in Paris, the focus was AMPI and the AMPI alumni’s short films.
• IHME Helsinki invited AMPI to have a joint event where we can present AMPI and screen some of the AMPI films. We invited AMPI Advisory Board member Tellervo Kallainen to select two AMPI short films for the event that took place at Kino Regina on the 3rd of October 2020.
Leonarda: Flesh Ain’t Weak by Mariangela Pluchino’s
Shahi Derky’s Leftover
AMPI IN A NUTSHELL.
• The Academy of Moving People and Images (AMPI) founded by filmmaker Erol Mintas in Helsinki in 2018.
• AMPI’s lecturers: Salla Sorri (Directing), Alli Haapasalo (Directing), Jonas Rothlaender (Creative Writing & Directing), Aino Sunni (Scriptwriting), Jan Forsström (Scriptwriting), Erol Mintas (Script Development and Directing), Christopher L. Thomas (Lighting & Cinematography), Hannu Käki (Color Grading), Sherwan Haji (Acting: Directing your body as your tool), Jemina Sillanpää (Camera Acting), Jaakko Kiljunen (Acting: From presence to action), Kirsi Korhonen (Sound Recording, Sound Editing, Sound Design), Toni Teivaala (Sound: Final Mix), Jerem Tonteri (Film Editing), Niina Vornanen (Film Editing), Mete Sasioglu (Producing), Maryan Abdulkarim (Norms & Theories & Histories), Alejandro Pedregal (Film and Critical Theories), Sezgin Boynik (Forms of Representation in Film), Iiris Juutilainen (1st Assistant Director).
• AMPI board of advisors: Jaana Puskala (Head of International Department/The Finnish Film Foundation), Jarmo Lampela (Filmmaker), Sari Volanen (Film producer), Ahmet Öğüt(Visual Artist and Sociocultural Initiator), Saara Saarela (Filmmaker), Tellervo Kalleinen (Artist), Senni Jyrkiäinen (Research), Giovanna Esposito Yussif (Curator), Kalle Hamm (Artist), Mazdak Nassir (Filmmaker), Panos Balomenos (Artist), Ahmed al Nawas (Researcher, Independent Curator), Marja Helander (Sami Artist and Filmmaker), Hamy Ramezan (Filmmaker), Sanna Kultanen (Film producer), Maria Lundström (Svenska Teatern), Sasha Huber (Visual Artist)
• AMPI board of collaborators: Marjo Pipinen ( Finnish Film Foundation), Elina Knihtilä (The University of Arts Helsinki, Theatre Academy), Isabel Maria Hölzl (Goethe-Institut Finnland), Susanna Helke (Critical Cinema Lab at the Department of Film, Television and Scenography, Aalto ARTS), Juha Huuskonen (HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme), Max Ryynanen (Aalto University, VICCA), Johanna Rissanen (Caisa), Päivi Balomenos (Design Museum), Marianne Savallampi (Museum of Impossible Forms), Johanna Fredriksson (Taidekoulu MAA), Diego Ginartes (GAP- Globe Art Point), Patrizia Gambarotta (Istituto Italiano di Cultura Helsinki), Paul O’Neill (Publics), Jani Kylmälä (Helsinki Vocational Adult Institute, Stage and Theatre Technology /Make-up), Hanna Parry (Baltic Circle – International Theatre Festival), Ana Gutieszca (Third Space), Kimmo Koskinen (Artlab Productions).
• AMPI is funded by the Kone Foundation.
• AMPI+ and AMPI Advanced workshops are funded by AVEK and TAIKE.
• For further information on AMPI and our workshops, please visit our website
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
academyofmovingpeopleandimages@gmail.com
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