Start of the 6th edition (August 26-31, 2018)  

They act as agents to the film industry and as ambassadors to the cinema audience. 

SOFA – School of Film Agents invites film-related cultural managers to a unique pan-European think tank for the future of cinema.  

International industry experts provide participants with creative support for their film- related cultural projects.  

Cologne, July 30th, 2018 – SOFA – School of Film Agents’ sixth edition offers an exclusive group of cultural managers and film agents the opportunity to develop their projects for film infrastructure under the guidance of experienced experts. Following SOFA director Nikolaj Nikitin's invitation to Poland’s capital Warsaw, a team of internationally renowned industry professionals will provide the participants with the necessary input for a practical development of their project ideas. The six-day workshop will also stimulate an exchange about transnational communication, handling human resources in each of their home nation's creative industries and especially focusing on New Media, gender issues and post-production.  

With this year’s motto “Agents breaking down borders”, the SOFA organizers are looking forward to welcoming the following SOFA Class of 2018/2019 participants with their projects in Warsaw:  

Eva Brazdžionytė – WIFT LT (Women in Film and Television Lithuania) 
WIFT LT aims to build and foster networking of women working in Lithuanian audio-visual and creative media industries, promote their professional activities, and promote Lithuanian AV industry from the gender equality perspective.  

Agnieszka Kruk – Find Your Story 
An online platform where screenwriters and filmmakers who are looking for screenplays or new talents can meet on a neutral ground and start fruitful cooperation.  

Victoria Leshchenko – FAQ film fest – festival on science and technologies 
FAQ showcases film and lecture events on science and modern technologies delivering the most provocative answers to the trivia questions.  

Marat Parkhomovsky – IFA Digital Experiences 
A state-of-the-art web platform dedicated to unlocking the treasures of the Israeli Film Archive to local and world public. The platform will design various VOD experiences based on the archive's rich historical documentary collection and its feature film collection.  

Róbert Vámos – Satellite Trailers 
Satellite Trailers’ mission is to help Central and Eastern European films maximize their audience and increase the share of regional films across European markets by delivering high-quality trailers, teasers, and promos. 

Natia Nikoleishvili – Post Production Platform
A map of post-production capabilities in the Georgian film industry offering access to highly trained technicians and artists, freelance specialists, and experienced companies. Here you can estimate your budget and build up a professional team.  

More information on the 2018 participants: http://www.joinsofa.org/projects-participants/.

SOFA again features successful industry experts who share knowledge and expertise with the participants. Confirmed experts so far are Funa Maduka (creative and acquisitions executive within Netflix Original Films, Amsterdam), Ewa Puszczyńska (producer, Łódź, IDA & COLD WAR), Anna Serner (CEO Swedish Film Institute, Stockholm), Oliver Baumgarten (Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis, Saarbrücken), Robert Groß (CEO ACT, Cologne), Jowita Michalska (CEO of Digital University, Warsaw), and Cristian Nicolescu (CEO Avanpost Digital Cube, Bucharest). 

The complete list of experts as well as the full programme will be announced closer to the beginning of the SOFA workshop under www.joinsofa.org.

Get inspired by the history of the Lumière brothers and make a spot of honesty in culture! The Legal Culture Foundation and the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia announce a film competition that promotes the fair use of culture as one of the foundations of functioning in the digital world. The authors of the most interesting minute films will receive financial prizes and the opportunity to gain new experiences on a professional film set.Get inspired by the history of the Lumière brothers and make a spot of honesty in culture! The Legal Culture Foundation and the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia announce a film competition that promotes the fair use of culture as one of the foundations of functioning in the digital world. The authors of the most interesting minute films will receive financial prizes and the opportunity to gain new experiences on a professional film set.

Culture changes the world and people for the better. However, today it needs support itself, especially in the reality of digital technologies. They are used not only by honest people, but also by those who make money on the work of others in a dishonest way. We invite you to participate in the competition, the aim of which is to indicate the appropriate attitudes of participation in culture and the promotion of drawing from it only from legal sources - for the benefit of creators, but also listeners, readers and viewers.

To enter the competition, you do not have to be a professional creator. Spot can be realized using a camera, a mobile phone or prepare an animation. What counts is creativity and the ability to reach the recipient with the message and make it reflect. The only limitation is time: the spot can last a maximum of one minute. Contrary to appearances, it is very much. This is what the Lumière brothers 'film "Workers' exit from the factory" lasted, the premiere of which in 1895 is considered the beginning of cinema history.
The spots, having the character of a copyright work, may be submitted by natural or legal persons as well as by teams of creators. All materials used in the spot - music, films, photos, books, illustrations, games and other - must come from legal sources and may not infringe on the copyrights and personal rights of third parties. The submitted works will be judged by the jury during the 43. Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia, which will award the following prizes:

• 1st prize: PLN 5,000
• 2nd prize: PLN 2,500
• 3rd prize: PLN 1,500

In addition, the winners will be able to try their hand at the film set of Polish feature production. The awarded films will also be presented as official spots of Legal Culture as part of educational programs, during film festivals and other cultural events, on websites and on social media sites of Legal Culture and in the media.

The deadline for submitting films is September 13, 2018. The results of the competition will be announced during the Young Gala of the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia on September 21, 2018.

The competition regulations and application documents are available HERE.

Click HERE for Polish version.