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Home / Education / International Filmmakers-in-Residence

International Filmmakers-in-Residence

The Jacob Burns Film Center is dedicated to growing and nurturing lines of communication between cultures through the power of film. The Fellowship for International Understanding Through Film, developed through a grant from philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis and inspired by her lifelong efforts to create a more harmonious world. The fellowship brings renowned filmmakers from abroad to live, work, and teach at the JBFC.

During their stay here, these International Filmmakers-in-Residence educate the JBFC community about their culture and beliefs through discussions following public screenings of their films. They also assist with programs at the Media Arts Lab and have access to the Lab's state-of-the-art facilties for their filmmaking needs.

For more information about this program and the application process, please contact Susan Todd at 914.773.7663, ext. 427, or stodd@burnsfilmcenter.org.

Other Scholarship/Fellowship Programs at the JBFC

Current Fellow


Bahman Farmanara's residency is presented with support from Elaine Dannheisser Foundation and

National Endowment for the Arts

Bahman Farmanara, Iran
February/March 2010

Born in Tehran, Bahman Farmanara is one of the founding figures of the Iranian New Wave of the 1970s. As well as being an acclaimed director, he is an influential screenwriter, producer, and distributor who is responsible for bringing many key international films to our shores.

During his stay as the JBFC International Filmmaker-in-Residence, he will present six of his own works and a selection of documentaries about his homeland. Learn More.


"Experiencing Iranian Culture through a Master's Films" - New York Times article published on Sunday, February 28, 2010


 

 

Past Fellows

Ido Haar, Israel
September/October 2009
"I make documentaries because I believe that the most exciting, crazy, tragic, and comic stories are hidden in real life." — Ido Haar

Ido Haar, from Tel Aviv, is the third International Filmmaker-in-Residence at the Jacob Burns Film Center’s Media Arts Lab. A graduate of Jerusalem’s famous Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Haar’s films follow a vérité, observational style. He was drawn to filmmaking after a stint in the Israeli army.

During Haar's stay at the JBFC, we screened two of his films  - 9 Star Hotel and Melting Siberia.

Interview with Ido Haar on the JBFC's YouTube channel
   

Namik Kabil, Bosnia and Herzegovina
May/June 2009
“The war in Bosnia changed me personally to the extent that sometimes I can hardly recognize myself at all. I have become obsessed with the mystery of the human spirit.” — Namik Kabil

Namik Kabil was born in Trebinje, in southern Bosnia. When his country separated from Yugoslavia in 1992 and war broke out, he was able to escape, eventually spending a decade in the US as a refugee. He returned to his homeland because, he says, “I wanted to hear the unspoken truth about the war and make movies about it.” Now based in Sarajevo, he works as a scriptwriter and director and is also deeply involved with Kriterion Cinema, an art house theater run by students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds that fosters cross-cultural dialogue and understanding.

During Kabil’s stay on the JBFC campus, he was a guest lecturer in the JBFC World Crew course for college students and he worked with students making documentary films about immigrants in Queens. In addition, Kabil hosted screenings of two of his films, Nightguards and Interrogation, at the JBFC theater.
   
Fanta Régina Nacro, Burkina Faso
March/April 2009
 
The JBFC Media Arts Lab's first filmmaker-in-residence, Nacro lives and works in Burkina Faso, the West African land formerly known as Upper Volta, which is the home of FESPACO, the continent's largest film festival (now in its 40th year).

One of only a handful of female African filmmakers, Nacro studied at the INAFEC film school in the Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougo, and earned a master's degree from the Sorbonne in Paris. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she's depicted Africa's traditions and harsh realities, but she often turns her lens with comic joy on issues of sexuality, gender relations, and modernity. In 1993, she founded her own production company, Les Films du Défi, whose mission is to create, produce, and distribute films, support new filmmakers, and raise awareness of African films. She has won two dozen awards for her work in festivals around the world, from Cannes to San Francisco.

While at the JBFC, Nacro presented several of her films at the theater (The Night of Truth, Bintou, and Konaté's Gift) and taught film classes at the Media Arts Lab.