CPH:LAB: Call for projects

CPH:LAB calls for projects with the theme TRANSFORMATIONS. The training programme will begin with a continuous online workshop starting in October 2021. Nine projects will be selected to develop a prototype they will present at CPH:DOX 2022 and will receive support from internationally renowned mentors and will build strong connections with their peers during months of developing and nurturing their interactive and immersive projects.

WHAT IS CPH:LAB
Since 2009 the lab has established itself as a highly acknowledged, ambitious and yet playful laboratory-style talent scheme showing great results. The lab is conceived as an incubator for documentary projects that seek to explore the potential of digital interactive technologies and advance new visions of what a documentary can be in a digital age. It offers a space for experimentation and collaboration in creative, cross-disciplinary partnerships across film, the creative arts, science, technology and social entrepreneurship.

CPH:LAB supports:

  • storytellers open to new digital formats
  • new collaborative approaches between creative talents across sectors
  • new ways of defining stakeholders, creating and enhancing an audiovisual work’s relevance for its audience
  • innovation competences and entrepreneurial skills
  • alternative financing and distribution methods
  • development of actual interactive/immersive documentary projects

CALL FOR PROJECTS 2021/2022 EDITION

For the 2021/2022 edition of CPH:LAB we will be working with the theme TRANSFORMATIONS:

We are living through a period of unprecedented transformation. Our values have been changed by the pandemic: we are reevaluating our priorities and reconsidering our impact on society and the environment. The lockdowns have given us a chance to change. Pre-Covid we had already started to buy fewer things and have more experiences. But people now want those experiences to be transformative. So this is our challenge for the coming CPH:LAB: how will the work you create reflect the desire for transformations that we are all now seeking?

WHO IS CPH:LAB FOR
Every year the lab supports the development of up to 9 projects and 20 participants. The lab welcomes established as well as emerging filmmakers, storytellers and creative technologists primarily from Europe but is open to a limited number of participants from non-european countries. 

TUTORS AND MENTORS
Participants are guided by the Head of Studies Mark Atkin, who is assisted by a wide variety of acknowledged international mentors besides the CPH:DOX team.

Mark Atkin is one of Europe’s utmost training capacities. As a curator and consultant at Crossover, he has been responsible for leading cross disciplinary training since 2008 and spearheaded the development of processes which bring together creative professionals from diverse disciplines including film and TV production, animation, games, theatre, VR, AR and interactive design to form new interdisciplinary collaborations and generate ideas for projects.

Besides designing the curriculum of CPH:LAB, Mark also curates the exhibition of immersive documentaries at CPH:DOX as well as the annual Inter:Active Symposium.

Assisting Mentors change from year to year based on the actual selection of projects.

PROGRAMME
CPH:LAB takes place online over three months, from October 2021 to January 2022 and at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen from March 23 – April 1, 2022 (if allowed). Workshop sessions are conducted in English.

The CPH:LAB workshop sessions are:

CPH:LAB Part I / Rapid Development
Oct 8th – 15th, 2021 / 6 full intensive days / online

CPH:LAB Part II /Individual Online Mentoring & Peer-to-peer Sessions
Oct 25th – Dec 16th, 2021 / approx 2 hours per week / online

CPH:LAB Part III / Prototype Production Workshop
Nov 8th – 10th, 2021 / 3 full intensive days / online

CPH:LAB Part IV / Preparing for CPH:DOX
Jan 10th, 2022 / 1 full intensive day / online

CPH:LAB Part V / CPH:DOX: Prototype Presentation & One-to-one Meetings with Decision Makers
Mar 28th – Apr 1st, 2022 / 3 full intensive days + arrival/departure / onsite (if allowed)

PARTICIPATION
If selected, a core creative team of two must attend all sessions of CPH:LAB 2021-2022 and be able to commit to the process. The participation is free of charge including accommodation and meals during the residential workshop as well as accreditation to CPH:DOX 2022. Transportation to and from Copenhagen will be at the participants’ own expense. If a project requires the presence of more than two team members, participation can be applied for and will be at individual negotiation if granted.

APPLICATION
With a deadline on July 6, 2021, we are now accepting submissions for the 2021/2022 edition. Read the full Rules & Regulations here, create an account here and click on Submit a CPH:LAB project. 

KEY DATES
Application opens: June 1, 2021
Application deadline: July 6, 2021
Notification of selection: August 2021