At the end of January I was selected to attend the Producers Lab run by the Rotterdam International Film Festival. I’ve wanted to attend for a few years but it is really difficult to get selected, so I was over the moon when I got an email to tell me my application had been accepted. The Producer Lab is one of the most prestigious programmes in the world, bringing together film producers from across the globe to discuss the most pertinent issues in the film industry today, and hold round tables with key funders, financiers, sales and distribution companies as well as other producers. At the end of the week I felt tired but inspired, but also armed with a great deal of knowledge about working internationally.

Why apply?

You should only apply for the IFFR producer lab if you are serious about international co-production. That means, you want to make films outside of your home country (in my case the UK) and you want to collaborate with other producers from different countries. International co-productions involve understanding treaties, working to the requirements of different film funds and coming up with complicated finance plans, and over-coming language and geographical barriers to find the right partners for the right films. Currently, I am raising finance for an international co-production, working with producers in France, Germany and Jordan. I felt the Rotterdam Lab could offer me the insight I needed to confidently move forward.

How to apply?

Every country has a different way of applying to the Lab. In the UK, and a few other countries, applications are sent to industry bodies, and it’s those organisations that make recommendations to the selection committee in Rotterdam. In the UK you have to send a statement about your international work and ambitions to the British Council and the BFI Network. Having already raised a percentage of the budget for the film I made a case for how the lab could help me find new sources of funding and new collaborations. With one eye on the future, I want Candle & Bell to work on many international co-productions in the future, so attending the lab will help me grow my network and make new connections.

The Lab itself.

Well, the Lab is very intense and the days are packed with meetings and round tables. I was pleasantly surprised to see that David Pope was the key moderator for the lab. David was my first ever teacher at film school when I was just 18 years old. It was so lovely to catch up with him and learn from him again.

The first day involved speed networking, where we had to talk to every person on the lab for 3 minutes. Considering there were 71 producers participating, that was a lot of talking. The next day, the focus turned to pitch training, followed by story development sessions and a case study on one of my favourite films of 2023 ‘Blackbird, Blackbird, Blackberry’. The remaining days were split between roundtable sessions with financiers, sales and distributors, and expert panels. My personal favourite was when we were split off into groups and had to do timed pitches to each other about projects and our business. It wasn’t just a rewarding exercise but a genuinely safe and empowering atmosphere. Of course, no lab would be complete without networking sessions during lunch and at night.

Location.

Rotterdam itself is a great city. It was easy to get around, once I remembered to look out for cars, trams and bikes! There were loads of options for food in the evening and it was a great chance to hang out with other producers and get to know each other in a more informal setting.

Impact.

Overall, this lab was one of the best producer labs I’ve attended. I feel like I’ve not just broadened my network, but I’ve also gained a lot of understanding and insight into how to approach international film co-production, a skill that is a requirement for producing films in 2024 and beyond. I also feel like I genuinely made a lot of new friends. I was selected alongside another UK producer, Hugh Mann Adamson, who is from Yorkshire. We’ve already organised to meet up in March and offer advice on each other’s projects.

Film producing can be a very stressful and isolating job. Producers carry the production froward from development, through production to delivery. All the liability rests on our shoulders and we are responsible for big budgets and big teams. It’s really important to make sure you have good friends in the industry who understand what you’re going through, and who can help you solve problems. I am sure I am going to look back on being part of the Rotterdam Producer Lab as a seminal moment in my career, where I saw lots of possibilities before me and made some life long friends.