The Humans Lab, open to any short film project on the defense of human rights, will be held from December 1 to 3 in Valencia
Estíbaliz Urresola, director of “20,000 species of bees” among other works, and Salima Jirari, consultant specialized in diversity of audiovisual projects, will participate.
The registration period will remain open until Sunday, November 19, using a form available on the Humans Fest website.
The Valencia International Film and Human Rights Festival, Humans Fest, organized by Fundación por la Justicia since 2009, has launched its first audiovisual creation laboratory: Humans Lab. This initiative was born with the aim of promoting the writing of film scripts on human rights, as well as supporting authors through training activities.
So much professionals as students residents in the Valencian Community can participate in the call, whose inscription will remain open until November 19. Eligible projects can be short films of any genre (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental or hybrid) and must be presented by its director, scriptwriter and/or producer through the form enabled on the Humans Fest website itself.
THREE DAYS OF MASTER CLASSES, TUTORING AND PITCH SESSIONS
The Humans Lab will be held in Valencia from Friday December 1st to Sunday December 3rd, when selected people will be able to enjoy two master classes (which will also be open to the general public), two tutored sessions one-to-one about their projects and a group session preparation to pitch to, as a final touch, make a presentation to different production companies in the Valencian Community. All of this taught by professionals in the audiovisual field.
ESTÍBALIZ URRESOLA AND SALIMA JIRARI, FIRST MENTORS OF THE HUMANS LAB
Specifically, this first edition of Humans Lab will have two mentors: the director Estíbaliz Urresola and the consultant Salima Jirari, who will be in charge of the masterclasses (Friday, December 1 in the afternoon and Saturday, December 2 in the morning, respectively), as well as the sessions one-to-one about the selected works.
Estíbaliz Urresola He has directed titles such as Adrian; Dust we are; either ropes, premiered at Cannes Critics' Week 2022, Forqué Award for best short film and nominated for the 2023 Goya Awards. first fiction feature film, 20,000 species of bees, It premiered in the Official Section of the Berlinale and won the Silver Bear for Best Performance for Sofía Otero, the Audience Award and the German Exhibitors Award. Patricia López Arnaiz also won the Golden Biznaga for Best Film and the Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress at the Malaga Film Festival. Furthermore, it has been chosen as candidate to represent Spain at the Oscars 2024.
For its part, Salima Jirari is a consultant specialized in a variety of audiovisual projects. He collaborates with various programs, companies and universities, advising projects in development and giving sessions on unconscious biases in the creative process. With more than ten years of experience, has worked in different areas of the film sector, such as distribution or production. Jirari is a professional who advocates culture and cinema as tools of critical thinking and social change.
ABOUT HUMANS FEST AND HUMANS LAB
Humans Fest is one of the main activities promoted by the Foundation for Justice with the aim of defending human rights and denouncing their violations around the world through cinema, a powerful tool and power to raise awareness. It is part of the international Human Rights Film Network.
Its 14th edition (2023), in which the Humans Lab is part of, is celebrated thanks to the collaboration of the Conselleria de Cooperació, Diputació de València, Ajuntament de València, Institut Valencià de Cultura, Caixa Popular and Teika. For its part, the Valencian regional radio and television station À Punt has been the official media of the festival.
In addition, the Humans Lab initiative also has the support of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain.