We are delighted to announce our collaboration with The Cannes – Vivendi/Canal+ Group International Chaire and Université Côte d’Azur (UCA) on a writers‘ residency dedicated to series taking place in Cannes from March 5 to April 11, 2018.
The Cannes – Vivendi/Canal+ Group International Chaire and Université Côte d’Azur (UCA) are launching today, November 14, 2017, a call for candidates for this exceptional residency dedicated to screenwriting for series. Developed by UCA in association with Serial Eyes (DFFB, Berlin), the first edition of the Institute proposes a five-week immersion for young international authors in an intensive series-writing program in close connection with the creative ecosystem of the CANAL+ group.
The residency will take place in the context of the future Cannes university hub, a project of David Lisnard, the Mayor of Cannes, and of UCA. It will contribute, through its content, to Cannes’s ambition of becoming a leading university city in the area of the creative economy, and to the creative dynamic of CANNESERIES, the International Series Festival that will be held in Cannes from April 4 to April 11, 2018. Tuition fees and housing costs will be covered for all participants by the Cannes – Vivendi/CANAL+ Group International Chaire.
Canneseries Institute
For its first edition, the residency will bring together eight young professional screenwriters who will be mentored by top international specialists in series writing and production.
Residing in Cannes for the duration of the program, the authors will develop a series project based on a theme proposed by the CANAL+ Group; they will benefit from individual mentoring, will experience collaborative writing in a writers’ room format, will attend master classes from professional teams from the CANAL+ Group (Création Originale, Studio+, Studio Bagel, Studiocanal) and will have access to CANNESERIES. Each participant will produce a short bible and the pilot of a series (10×10’ or 6×26’ format).
At the end of the program, participants will receive a university diploma from UCA, and the author of one project will be offered a development agreement by the CANAL+ Group.
Cooperation with a Network of European Screenwriting Schools
Most of the residents in this new program will be selected in the context of cooperation agreements established by UCA with European screenwriting schools: Serial Eyes (Germany), the Conservatoire européen d’écriture audiovisuelle (France), the Scuola Holden (Italy), the Polish National Film, Television, and Theater School (Poland), the London Film School (Great Britain), and the MIDPOINT International Script Development Program (Czech Republic).
Participate in a Key Event in the World of Series
Participants will be able to take part in CANNESERIES, the Cannes International Series Festival, by attending screenings of new series, the closing ceremony, and numerous master classes and other events. They will also be able to participate in In Development, the Series Creation Forum proposed by CANNESERIES and MIPTV.
Key Dates
November 14 to December 20, 2017 Call for candidates
January 19, 2018 List of short-listed applicants announced
February 9, 2018 List of the eight finalists announced
March 5 to April 11, 2018 CANNESERIES Institute residency
To apply, visit the program web site
About the Cannes – Vivendi/Canal + International Chaire
On May 18, 2017, the City of Cannes, the Vivendi group, the CANAL+ Group, and UCA and its Foundation created an international chaire (sponsored program for research and/or training). The mission of the chaire is to implement training programs of excellence in Cannes starting in 2018, in anticipation of the complete educational program that will be proposed by UCA on the Cannes campus starting in September 2019; this educational program will include, in particular, high level training in writing and the creation of audio-visual content.