The event was held on Thursday afternoon at Goethe’s auditorium in Dhanmondi. Bangladeshi Alumni Filmmaker of this initiative Humaira Bilkis (Berlinale Talents Doc Station 2019) and Cinematographer Barkat Hossain Polash (Berlinale Talents 2019) shared their experiences and in-depth insights into the application process and selection criteria for the scholarship.
Filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon moderated the session, and Berlinale Talents' Programme Manager Florian Weghorn joined the session live from Germany via Skype. He took part in a live Q&A session from the curious and enthusiastic audiences.
Berlinale Talents is an initiative and talent development programme of the Berlin International Film Festival for 250 emerging filmmakers and drama series creators from all over the world.
While the roots of Berlinale Talents are firmly planted in Berlin, new shoots of the initiative have been sprouting internationally. These Talents International editions, that include Talents Beirut in Lebanon, Talents Buenos Aires in Argentina, Talents Guadalajara in Mexico, Talents Durban in South Africa, Talents Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Talents Tokyo in Japan have the familiar structure and purpose of their German counterpart: all the while retaining a regional perspective and finding support and the necessary amenities in a locally based international film festival. Talents initiatives are supported by local partners, as well as by Goethe-Institut, the state-funded global proponent of German culture.
In addition to the extensive summit programme of master classes and panel discussions with top-notch experts, Berlinale Talents offers a range of Project Labs in which aspiring filmmakers can further develop and present own projects. Berlinale Talents also provides Studio programmes and workshops for specific groups of film professionals.
As an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, the entire event is closely linked with the programmes of the festival sections and the European Film Market.
Berlinale Talents 2019 took place from 9–14 February in Germany. Its next edition is scheduled from 22 to 27 February, 2020.