1 month ago
EXCLUSIVE: Film Independent has launched nan Film Independent CineBridge Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen Fellowship, a caller programme for world filmmakers, backed by a $1.1 cardinal gift from nan Estate of Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen.
Founded by filmmaker Richard Tanne, who conceived and developed nan inaugural successful collaboration pinch Film Independent’s International team, nan fellowship is designed to elevate creatives whose activity reflects a beardown imaginative imagination and nan imaginable to link pinch audiences successful nan U.S. and beyond.
The inaugural CineBridge fellows, selected from a excavation of complete 100 nominated submissions from 40 countries, are Tomás Fleck and Fisnik Maxville, who will respectively create nan projects The Other America and Reel Skin arsenic portion of their participation.
This month, nan fellows will participate successful a operation of virtual sessions and a one-month in-person residency successful Los Angeles successful September. The virtual programme will see improvement support to fortify their screenplays, arsenic good arsenic proposal connected creating a compelling task package and refining their pitching skills successful mentation for their residency successful Los Angeles. The in-person residency will see meetings pinch manufacture professionals, arsenic good arsenic entree to masterclasses, lawsuit studies and different Film Independent programs, including nan yearly Film Independent Forum, wherever they will beryllium capable to acquisition nan manufacture and transportation their projects connected a nationalist stage.
A writer, head and shaper whose activity includes nan Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated Southside pinch You and Amazon MGM’s coming-of-age play Chemical Hearts, who has served arsenic a mentor successful Film Independent’s International Programs since 2018, Tanne will play an progressive domiciled going guardant successful selecting, mentoring and supporting fellows arsenic they create their projects and navigate nan industry.
“CineBridge was built arsenic a literal span for world filmmakers into nan Hollywood system, not conscionable to create their work, but to position it to win astatine nan highest level,” Tanne said. “Tomás and Fisnik are precisely nan benignant of filmmakers we’re looking for: bold, unique voices moving successful genres that tin scope large audiences. I’m excited to spot really their films move guardant arsenic they measurement into nan manufacture present successful Los Angeles.”
Added María Raquel Bozzi, Film Independent’s Senior Director of Education and International Programs, “We are excited to collaborate pinch filmmaker Richard Tanne connected this inaugural and are grateful to nan Samuel and Ruth P. Cohen Estate for this important gift to amplify our activity cultivating nan careers of filmmakers crossed borders. It’s an grant to spot Richard, who has been progressive successful our programs arsenic a mentor, beryllium inspired to put successful our ngo successful specified an intentional and committed way.”
CineBridge candidates are considered by nominations from a excavation of partners and filmmakers associated pinch Film Independent. Calls for nominations will beryllium held erstwhile a twelvemonth successful nan fall.
Learn much astir nan inaugural fellows and their projects below.
Fisnik Maxville
Fisnik Maxville was calved successful Kosovo, successful nan erstwhile Yugoslavia. Exiled to Switzerland, he grew up location arsenic a warfare refugee. After studying International Politics, he began directing successful 2015. Since then, he has written and directed 4 short films, 3 documentaries and a fabrication characteristic film. His activity has been showcased astatine galore world movie festivals, including Locarno, Tallinn, Clermont-Ferrand, Raindance, Visions du Réel and São Paulo. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and nan Ateliers d’Angers. His debut fabrication feature, The Land Within, won Best First Feature astatine nan 2022 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Fisnik is presently processing 2 fabrication features.
Project: Reel Skin
Logline: In nan lineage of female-driven assemblage scary like The Substance and Titane, Reel Skin follows an undocumented female who has spent years making herself invisible to survive. When a wound from a genetically engineered snake originates transforming her successful terrifying ways, nan assemblage nan world tried to erase becomes nan 1 point they can’t stop.
Tomás Fleck
Tomás is simply a writer/director focused connected blending genres and connecting pinch audiences. His debut feature, You Gotta Have Faith (Minerva Pictures, TVCO), premiered astatine LABRFF, wherever it won 2 awards. He has participated successful prestigious programs specified arsenic nan Academy Award–recognized Cine Qua Non Script Revision Lab pinch his project My Luminous Shadow, which is being filmed successful May 2026, and began processing his communicative for The Other America as an Oxbelly Fellow. Tomás has written and directed bid that were exhibited connected Netflix, Globo, and Amazon Prime successful Brazil and his films person screened astatine Oscar-qualifying festivals specified arsenic Cinequest, Nashville Film Festival, and nan awesome Brazilian Festival de Gramado.
Project: The Other America
Logline: In nan contented of caller Brazilian Oscar contenders like The Secret Agent and I’m Still Here, The Other America is a romanticist espionage thriller astir a CIA operative sent to Brazil who falls successful emotion pinch his fabricated life — and nan female successful it. When some governments adjacent in, he must take betwixt nan American he was built to beryllium and nan Brazilian he became.
