Scandar Copti is coming to Espinho, bringing once again his workshop on Techniques For Directing Non-actors to FEST - Training Ground.

With a background in Mechanical engineering, the Palestinian director first caught the film world’s attention when he received a special mention in Cannes’ Golden Camera Award for “Ajami” (2009), co-directed with Yaron Shani. During the production, the Palestinian artist developed a complex yet effective workshop method to prepare nonprofessional actors to work in fiction.

Unlike other forays into improvisation, “Ajami” had a very precise screenplay and a well-constructed plot that demanded specific emotional responses from its actors. The actors ended up acting out a story, without being aware that they were being directed according to a pre-written script. The film is a work of fiction which shows “real” people acting in situations that are coordinated by the directors, but very “real” to the performers, resulting in the actors projecting emotions on camera that they actually experienced at the time.

Copti has been traveling across the world since, sharing this invaluable experience, producing workshops focused on providing the tools and knowledge to filmmakers who choose to work with amateur actors. We’ll see him in June.

Registrations for FEST - Training Ground are open until the 31st of May
Register now to book your place in one of World's biggest learning forums in film, with prices starting at 69.99€

To discover everything FEST - Training Ground has to offer, we suggest you keep track of how the experts panel is developing here and take a peek in the About page in our website for a more in-depth view.

To get a better picture of what the event looks like have a look at the FEST - Training Ground video here.