International Call for Entries

The Experience is open to 50 filmmakers from around the world, with diverse skills in writing, photography, sound, music, and editing, who are open to work in creative pairs based on shared visions and complementary knowledge, autonomy, and technical and creative skills.
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Submitting an Application*

*In case of receiving invitation to apply.

Each applicant must submit their application form on an individual basis, attaching all the required documents. If a working pair wishes to participate together, they must submit their individual applications and specify the name of their peer in the letter of intent.

Applying as a couple does not imply that both applicants will be selected. Each profile will be considered individually.

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Selection Process

The selection of the 50 participants will be made by 3 professionals with experience in film and creative gatherings.

The selection will take into account these criteria:

Technical autonomy in writing, shooting and editing
Motivation, flexibility and adaptability
Ability to work collaboratively
Relevance of the Experience to their professional development
Artistic quality of previous work

Similarly, the board will make the working pairs according to criteria such as:

• Mutual Encouragement and Learning
• Affinity in their approach on cinema
• Technical and Creative Complementary Skills
• Cultural Diversity

The participants will be notified regarding their working pairs prior to the workshop. Hence, they can coordinate previous online meetings.

4

Technical Material

This is a practical program. Thus participants are required to have previous experience and technical skills both filming and editing.

Each working pair must be technically autonomous and have a basic portable unit for image, sound, and edition.

5

Language

The group chats will be in English. Yet, individual mentorships can also be in Spanish or German.

6

Health Insurance

Participants are required to have a certified international travel health insurance.

European citizens can request a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to Access public health care during temporary stays in other Union countries.

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The organization does not take responsibility for

• Arrangement for travel visas. Each participant must enquire about their Portugal entry requirements according to their nationality. Upon registration, the Extática Cine team will issue the necessary certificates for the corresponding administrative procedures.
• Round-trip flights to and from their place of origin to the Azores, more specifically São Miguel.

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Enrollment

Application Fee €30 (thirty euros)
If selected to participate in the Experience, this amount will be deducted from the total Programme Fee.

Program Fee
€8800 (eight thousand eight hundred euros)

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Enrolling in the program includes the following services

• Artistic Mentorship
Werner Herzog and one of his closest collaborators.

• Logistics and support crew for local production

• Lodgings

12 nights, from 3 to 14 January, in a single room, Hotel Caloura Resort ****.

* External companions are not allowed at the hotel nor in the program activities.
** Once registration has been completed and the programme fee has been paid, no refunds will be issued.
• Meals

Three buffet-style meals per day for 11 days and 12 nights.
Exclusive coffee station available in the morning and afternoon.
Welcome and closing cocktails.
Evening bar service.

• Transportation

Airport–Hotel–Airport Transfers
Group bus transportation for location visits
Transportation for shooting days
Transportation to the final screening

• Preproduction

General reproduction resources identified in the region.

A paid casting pool of more than 100 local profiles available to take part in the stories, including people of different ages—children, teenagers and adults—as well as professional and non-professional actors and individuals from a wide range of occupations.

Shooting permits covering a large part of the island, including more than 50 locations across coastal areas, mountains, volcanic landscapes, lakes, forests, villages and urban centres, as well as boats, churches, houses, workshops, bars and other private spaces.

• Casting Payment

Each participant will have an allocation equivalent to four working days for one actor. If two actors are required, this allocation may be distributed flexibly—for example, two working days per actor.

Each creative pair will therefore have a total allocation of eight actor working days, to be distributed according to the needs of the project or projects they undertake during the Experience.

• Legal Production Structure

We provide a robust and legally sound production framework designed to protect the intellectual property rights of filmmakers and their works.

• Distribution

Participants have one month after the workshop ends to finalize post-production on their projects and submit the final copy with complementary sales materials.

The completed works will be eligible for the WERNER HERZOG DISTRIBUTION AWARD, selected by a jury consisting of the Werner Herzog Foundation, Extática Cine, workshop participants, and the Freak Distribution Agency.

The five most outstanding projects will be distributed by the FREAK Agency for a period of 18 months, and the agency will design an itinerary for each project.

The next five films will receive a distribution consultancy award to support their entry into the exhibition circuit.

**Once registration has been completed and the programme fee has been paid, no refunds will be issued.

CALL FOR ENTRIES CLOSED ON SEPTEMBER, 30TH, 2026