Close-Up - Cultural Exchange Program

Sigal Yehuda is the Founder & Executive Director of Close-Up, an Independent International Organization based in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to mitigating conflict through documentary filmmaking. For the past 12 years Yehuda was the Director of Greenhouse, a development program for filmmakers from the Middle East & North Africa. She led the program into a prestigious and internationally recognized initiative for fostering the talents of the region’s most promising filmmakers. Yehuda realized that a wider view
of human rights and conflict resolution could be attained by supporting
emerging filmmakers who were lacking opportunities, specifically in the MENA. These young leaders created significant change, Yehuda decided resources should be allocated especially to them, and since supported more than 200 emerging filmmakers who created 45 significant films that had an enormous impact internationally. Under Yehuda’s tutelage, Close-Up encompassed a lasting legacy lead by a group of individuals from Turkey, Morocco, Israel, the Netherlands and US.

We live in an era in which violent conflicts around the world have created a fertile breeding ground for racism, stereotypes, prejudices, fear, and mistrust of the “other”. The distinctive cultural initiative we established, positioned at the intersection of media, social change and peacebuilding. A Program for Documentary Filmmakers from the Middle East & North Africa, from diverse ethnic, religious, cultural or political backgrounds.  Together we examine our responsibility and ask how we are going to fight racism and injustice through social documentaries that challenge controversial issues and create change within our own societies. Working with young filmmakers from our region is essential to ensure our future existence. We do not accept the hopeless path that politicians offer. We've witnessed our ability to resist racism by strengthening our community of filmmakers, who are creating powerful documentaries and reminding us all about our common values and strength of an inclusive society. 

Since our inception in 2006, we have witnessed dramatic historical events that changed the world forever, the Arab spring in 2010 in Tunisia, the civil uprising in Syrian, Libya, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Bahrain, Palestine & Israel, loud voices of the young generation rising up against oppression to secure a more democratic political system and brighter economical future.  Many of our filmmakers are minorities within their own countries who are facing brutal oppression, like our Kurdish filmmakers living in Iran and Turkey, Bahai ethnic group in Iran, Hazaras Afghan minorities that were killed and persecuted by the Taliban during the 90', minor ethnicity like Druze and Maron from Lebanon. Amazighs ethnic group in North Africa, Egyptian Copts, and others. Most of these minorities are representing between 15%-35%. As a cultural international organization in the MENA region, we are aware of the diversity within our own region. The nuances of our filmmaker's origin are highly important since we are advocating for inclusiveness and fighting racism, by creating a dialog between people coming from enemy countries and giving voices to prosecuted communities and assisting them to make their voices we educate people about the importance & beauty of our ancient diverse region.  

The overall goal of Close-Up is to nurture a community of filmmakers from across the MENA committed to dialogue and possessing the necessary skills and commitment to create high-impact films that advance a more just, democratic and peaceful world. Each year, following a thorough and professional review process, we select up to 24 participants working on 12-16 films. Directors from the MENA region with documentary projects in development stages on issues concerning gender equality, women's rights, racism, immigration & refugees, religion and its impact on society, environmental changes, youth. Through an intensive and extremely rewarding program comprised of three 6-7 days residential workshops in Morocco & Turkey spanning over 8 months, the filmmakers are guided and challenged creatively as they develop their preliminary written ideas into a genuine Co-Production film project. With a professional budget and a high-quality trailer completed they are ready to begin production. As they develop their film ideas, our filmmakers receive individual and continuing support from our inspirational and dedicated mentors, leading figures in the international documentary film world. They participate in hands-on workshops including master classes on storytelling, script writing, and pitching to key international decision makers including broadcasters and prominent cinema institutions.

Many young filmmakers in the MENA region graduate from film schools with emerging talent and find themselves surrounded by unique and urgent stories. However, the region lacks advanced cinema training programs to guide and strengthen their professional development. Without access to the right network and in the absence of support many young filmmakers from the region find themselves stuck in the gap between film school and the professional world.  Our program offers a robust link between these two poles which can fast track these emerging filmmakers to the next level. We established our program in response to the identified need to strengthen a unique meeting-point for artists, who rarely have any opportunities to meet and forge personal and professional ties.  At a time of sweeping political changes around the world, the importance of understanding and addressing core urgent issues is widely acknowledged. The past fourteen years have highlighted the importance of adopting a person-to-person approach in peace-building programs, and in bringing people together around a common interest. We have learned that this direct encounter between people from diverse and often conflicting backgrounds around their shared passion for cinema is immensely powerful, and helps foster mutual understanding, tolerance and cooperation. 

Fighting racism and ignorance could be perceived as an abstract idea but for the past 14 years we've witnessed our ability to resist prejudice and ignorance by creating a strong community of people who are vulnerableminorities, including women. Our participants are struggling to change their own societies, by strengthening them, the young generation who are living in some cases under dictatorship, we make sure that these critical voices that have the ability to educate and create change from within are heard loudly. The safe surrounding we create allows them to strengthen values of freedom of expression and human rights.

We are individual leaders coming from Morocco, Turkey, Israel, USA and The Netherlands, working together for the past 14 years. After 14 years of partnership with an Israeli organization we decided last year to move towards an independent international consortium, we decided to establish our international NGO in Belgium. We believe that the current political situation in the region makes it crucial to be an independent organization, without any governmental institutional involvement in order to secure the safety of regional filmmakers as well as sustain the program's future. Our independence enables us to work in an open and pluralist environment which respects the diversity of our filmmaker's nationality as well as the international nature of our organization's management. Since 2006 we have supported more than 225 filmmakers, and created more than 45 completed films, we have persevered and upheld a critical role as a meeting point for filmmakers of this region.  Working with talented  emerging filmmakers from different culture is one of the most essential ways to maintain our cultural awareness and insure our future existence. We've witnessed our ability to resist ignorance by creating powerful documentaries within our community of filmmakers.

I was raised as an Iranian Jew in Israel. My parents emigrated from Iran to Israel in the early 1950s. They loved Iran, they spoke Farsi and lived as Iranians in Israel, a foreign country in which they were never able to fully integrate. Although they had a different religion, they were like the Muslim Iranians, deeply connected to the Iranian culture. The Jews who came to Israel from Muslim countries in the 1950’s loved their homeland, but they were taught that this homeland was the enemy. For centuries they lived peacefully with their Muslim neighbors of different religions. I cherish the legacy I inherited from my parents, culture is a strong tie that connects us no matter what our nationality, religion or ethnic background. In that spirit, we established Close-Up.  We are individual leaders from Turkey, Morocco, Israel, the Netherlands and USA. We have been working together for the past 14 years, dedicating ourselves to maintaining the beautiful community we have created. Our strength has always been our belief in the urgency and necessity of a dialog between individual artists coming from broken societies but aiming to go beyond censorship, and years of indoctrination about the "others". 

Since our inception in 2006 we have witnessed dramatic historical events that changed the world forever, the Arab spring in 2010 in Tunisia, the civil uprising in Syrian, Libya, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Bahrain, Palestine & Israel, loud voices of the young generation rising up against oppression to secure a more democratic political system and brighter economical future. The emerging voices seeking freedom were defeated in what became a long brutal war in Syria and cruel violent conflicts in Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan and the entire region.  We are individual leaders coming from different countries, in the past decade we have all experienced the rise of extremism which has transformed our countries and the community of filmmakers we nurtured, most of us are not represented by their governments anymore.  Together with our documentary filmmakers from all across the region we started to examine our responsibility in these crucial times and ask how we, filmmakers, journalists and activists are going to reclaim our cultural heritage and create influential social documentaries that challenges controversial issues and create impact and change within our own societies while keeping our safety. We all needed to reinforce our political position as civilians with a critic eye while reflecting on the complex reality we all share.  As international partners we are determined to maintain that urgent support we have built for our filmmakers, the safe environment we have formed offers an important open discussion, which is essential for the challenges our filmmakers are facing.  

The conditions for filmmakers and particularly for women filmmakers in Afghanistan are harsh. In 2014, we received a submission from Sahra Mosawi-Mani, an Afghan woman. Sahra's documentary film project followed the story of Khatera, a brave young woman who put her father on trial for brutally raping her for 13 years and fathered two of her children. A Thousand Girls Like Me was selected to participate in our 2014/15 program.  Before being a filmmaker, Sahra is an activist and helped in every way that she could her protagonist.  she didn't plan to make a film, she offered her sisterhood and solidarity but Khatera thought that if Sahra will make a film about her it may protect her life because the case will be documented and her uncles that threatened to kill her will be exposed. That's what happened, making the film helped protecting Khatera's life. After the film was made and successfully screened all over the world including in Afghanistan, the public debate they generate had the power to shift the social stigma on raped women in Afghanistan. Sahra fought to bring justice to Khatera's case.  With our assistance, Sahra secured financing for a DNA test that convicted Khatera's father.  

Back in 2013 a Lebanese filmmaker of a Druze origin, Omar Shami participated in our program. I was the Director, he was a 23 years old talented filmmaker. When the program ended, after 8 months, he told a story to an audience in an event we held in NY. He said that he wanted to apply to our program but was afraid when saw my name that defines my origin. Since Lebanon and Israel are considered enemies, Omar was scared, However, he was curios and looked for a great professional opportunity. He looked at my photo and thought that he and I actually look alike, we could have been neighbors. Then he said, we met and during our first meeting in Morocco, she promised me that if at any stage I will feel a threat she will do everything she can to protect me. The moment that I felt a threat came and as promised she followed the steps that would protect me, I never thought I could love the person that I grew up to think is my worst enemy. This was, he said, a lesson for life, a genuine leadership that sees our needs first no matter what.

Many young filmmakers in this region graduate from film schools with emerging talent and find themselves surrounded by unique and fascinating stories. However, the region lacks advanced cinema training programs to guide and strengthen their creative and professional development so that their future projects can be competitive in the international market (with film funds, broadcasters, on-line platforms etc.). Without access to the right network and in the absence of support to develop their skills, films and stories – many young filmmakers from the region find themselves stuck in the gap between film school and the professional world.  Our program offers a robust link between these two poles which can fast track these emerging filmmakers to the next level. We established our program in response to the identified need to strengthen the documentary storytelling capacity in our region and to create a unique meeting-point for artists, who rarely have any opportunities to meet and forge personal and professional ties. We are the only program in the region that offers promote a dialog between people from "enemy" countries, like Kurdish-Turkish, Iran-Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Suni-Shiiat. We are unique by creating an extraordinary combination of professional excellence and community building. Our filmmakers are describing the experience as "a life changing" - it is so because our genuine leadership that seek truthful dialog based on respect. We trust our ability to transform, we believe in the power of individuals to challenge the narrative they grew up with and find their own original and unique voices.

For the past 14 years our organization was one of the most prominent venture in the international documentary film world. We are responsible for highly impactful films by emerging filmmakers we supported, that were completed and gained impressive international awards and recognition but also had a significant impact in the filmmakers' communities. Our theory of change is that for the past 14 years we showed concrete results, our logical frameworks shows that our activities are linked with the short & long terms outputs. For example, our short terms outputs are: we commit to support during 3 workshops in 8 months program, up to 24 filmmakers from diver's religion, culture and ethnic background. All of that happened for the past 14 years, the long-term outputs are to have completed films with high impact internationally. We have around 45 films that had a huge impact internationally. These are concrete results that we achieved each year. Our theory is that we must deliver in order to have an impact and that's what we do. We are making sure that our objectives are fulfilled. Here are some examples of the films we supported and that gained international recognition:

We Could Be Heroes by Hind Bensari from Morocco was the first film to win the Best International Documentary Award by an African Woman filmmaker, at 2018 Hot Docs International Film Festival in Canada.  A Thousand Girls Like Me by Sahra Mosawi-Mani from Afghanistan that was supported by Sundance Film Institute, IDFA Bertha, Chicken & Egg Pictures in NYC, among others and premiered at 2018 Hot Docs International Film Festival and won 20 awards around the world including, Sweden, the UK and Morocco. Midnight Traveler by Hassan Fazili from Afghanistan that won the Special Award at 2019 Sundance Film Festival and 2019 Berlinale. Kabul, City in the Wind by Aboozar Amini from Afghanistan, Opening Film at the prestigious IDFA Film Festival in Amsterdam 2019.  Mr.Gay Syria' by Ayse Toprak & Ekin Calisir from Turkey had its NY Premier at the MoMa Fortnight 2018 and participated in more than 20 film festivals around the world, 

We are supporting up to 24 filmmakers a year, this year we supported 22 filmmakers.

Next year we will support 22-24 filmmakers and next years also 22-24 filmmakers a year.

However, the numbers of the direct filmmakers that are supported should be calculated differently because the filmmakers of each year continued to be supported by us in different programs, we provide like residency awards in NY and participation in film festivals in program we initiate in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands. It is safe to say that we support each year 22-24 filmmakers and in addition 35% of our participants from previous years. 

Our goal is to continue support the young generation of women and minorities coming from our region, the Middle East & North Africa, in order to strengthen the ability of these emerging talented artists to create change within their own societies. We know that each filmmaker that makes a change is having a huge impact on her/his society and contributes to the ability of other people to breakthrough these barriers. We create the opportunities for them and provide the professional support they need but we also make sure they are equipped with the necessary knowledge so the next time they'll have the tools and connections to make it on their own and support their peers and colleagues.

In the next five years we will be supporting 110-120 young emerging artists and filmmakers from our fraught region, they will all be equipped with the professional knowledge to express their vision of change in their own societies through documentary filmmaking. Each and one of them is an ambassador of peace, a person that strengthen her/his ability to express their individual voices through a cinematic experience that reflect their society, they learn in depth about their colleagues from neighboring countries. Not only what they hear in the news but learn to be critical about the sources of information, research and find the truth, justice and human rights.

This is the young generation that has the potential to change within their own societies as they are women & minorities fighting for the own rights. 

Our goal in the next few years is to ensure our financial sustainability. We have a great base of donors who are supporting us for many years but we always try to extend our sources in order to maintain our financial stability. Unfortunately the Covid-19 crisis had affected our financial planning, we had to postpone two major fundraising events we planned in Europe and the US in June and September 2020. Our event in Brussels, Belgium was planned for April 29th, 2020, it was a screening event in a collaboration with the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Brussels and targeted the European Union and Parliament members, as well as individual philanthropists and organizations we planned to have attended our event. This was a continuation of a successful event we held in Berlin with the HBF in October 2020. We were supposed to raise funds for the Close-Up Initiative and mainly for the 2020-2021 Program. We will be able to do the event in the spring of 2021 but this has a direct impact on our abilities to secure funding for our organization. The other event we had to cancel was a fundraising event we planned in Los Angeles as part of our collaboration with IDA in September 2020. Our major support comes from North American philanthropists and organizations, we are planning to also strengthen the European arena, and push forward in to get additional European support as  we are aware of the financial situation in the US & North America.

As international partners we are determined to sustain the stability and impact of the program and build on the significant infrastructure, professional team, partnerships and resources that we have developed, in the past 14 years. We are deeply committed to continuing the program and brought on board new enthusiastic and committed supporters. The establishment of our NGO in Europe opens significant doors for additional financial support that were prevented from us in the past. We recognize the importance of diversifying our funding base so as to enhance the sustainability of the program. For that reason, we have managed to bringing new funders on board and we continue to work on our fundraising strategy in Europe and North America and strengthening our ties there.  

Our fundraising strategy to access European institutions who could provide financial support to Close-Up has proved to be effective, an application we submitted to the Nordic Culture Fund in Denmark has been approved in August 2019. That was the base for our application to the German Federal Culture Fund for the Close-Up 2020-2021 Training program.  We are awaiting final decisions from these European organizations in August 2020.

These synergies and collaborations with European institutions are reflecting the huge potential for Close-Up as a European International NGO, to interact financially with new supporters, opportunities that were not available for Close-Up in its past form. 

We established important professional ties with prestigious documentary film funds and cinema institutions such as Sundance Film Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, Catapult Film Fund in San Francisco, Chicken & Egg Pictures in NY (a film fund supporting Women Filmmakers), MEDIMED DOC MRKET in Barcelona, Spain, Middle East Now Film Festival in Florence, Italy, Nordisk Panorama in Sweden, Movies that Matter in the Netherlands and The Jacob Burns Film Center in New York that offers our filmmakers a FELLOWSHIP AWARD for a residency in Pleasantville, NY and Silver Sun Foundation in Woodstock NT that offers another residency for our filmmakers. These significant collaborations with the most prestigious film institutions in the international documentary arena are significant to the success of our filmmakers and were created in order to provide substantial opportunities for our filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa to further receive support in their projects. These collaborations assist our filmmakers to push their projects further towards completing high standards documentaries and network with highly acclaimed professionals. With each institution we established different partnership, for example, MEDIMED in Spain selects two filmmakers to join the market in October. the Jacob Burns Film Center in NY selects each year 4-6 filmmakers for 4-6 weeks editing residencies in order to edit their films. Movies that Matter will select women filmmakers for March 2021 to participate in a special program to discuss their projects and get additional mentoring by international experts as well as network with potential decision makers. 

Since we are a none profit organization, every contribution we get is dedicated solely to the program, supporting filmmakers in the MENA region. Our fundraising strategy is based on in depth research we did for the past few years which emphasis individual philanthropists, cultural, human rights and peace-building organizations. Our key beneficiaries are minorities & women in the MENA region and our aim is to provide support to them. Our key resources are serving our key activities, meaning 3 workshop of 6-7 days each in Turkey & Morocco for our 24 filmmakers. The way we measure impact is by evaluation process of each workshop, we analyze the outcome in order to improve. At the end of each activity (workshop) we write a report based on the input from the participants, mentors and experts. We are sending donors & our stakeholders the reports and constant updates about the program and the progress our filmmakers are making. In between the workshops there are specific assignments each filmmakers receive and must follow and send our mentors and team by the deadline we agreed on. Our level of involvement is high and this is the reason why we have results, we make sure every step along the way was achieved and that's how we make sure we are fulfilling the objectives and goals we defined for ourselves. The partners and donors are always updated about the progress, impact and results, as well as the financial reports send every quarter.

Our organization is supported by a great group of individual donors as well as organizations providing financial support for the program. As international partners we are determined to sustain the stability and impact of the program and build on the significant infrastructure, professional team, partnerships and resources that we have developed, in the past 14 years. We are deeply committed to continuing the program and brought on board new enthusiastic and committed supporters. The establishment of our NGO in Europe opens significant doors for additional financial support that were prevented from us in the past. We recognize the importance of diversifying our funding base so as to enhance the sustainability of the program. For that reason, we have managed to bringing new donors on board and we continue to work on our fundraising strategy in Europe and North America and strengthening our ties there.  

Our fundraising strategy to access European institutions who could provide financial support to Close-Up has proved to be effective, an application we submitted to the Nordic Culture Fund in Denmark has been approved in August 2019. That was the base for our application to the German Federal Culture Fund for the Close-Up 2020-2021 Training program.  We are awaiting final decisions from these European organizations in August 2020.

These synergies and collaborations with European institutions are reflecting the huge potential for Close-Up as a European International NGO, to interact financially with new supporters, opportunities that were not available for Close-Up in its past form.

All the funding we received for our 2019-2020 Program are grants.

Blue Ice Docs - Neil Tabatznik

100,000     

Received 

Spunk Fund, Inc.

135,000     

Received     

Lisa Chahnoff

50,000

Received     

Silver Sun Foundation 

10,000

Received

Barbara Dobkin 

25,000

Received

Nordic Culture Fund, Denmark

52,000

Received

Goldman Sacks Graig Russel & Pamela Jones

5,000

Received

Ricki Roer

300

Received

These are the financial plans for our 2020-2021 program. This doesn't include the 150,000$ Close-Up secured already.  

Spunk Fund, Inc

100,000

Confirmed

Blue Ice Docs

50,000

Applying in August 2020

Lisa Chahnoff

25,000

Confirmed

Silver Sun Foundation

10,000

Confirmed

The German Federal Culture Fund

200,000

Pending

The Ford Foundation

50,000

Applying in September 2020

Nordic Culture Fund, Denmark

55,000

Pending

SNF

50,000

Pending

Our estimated budget is around 510,000$

The Covid-19 financial crisis has an impact on the financial stability of organizations like ours. With the cancellation of two significant fundraising events that were planned for April 2020 and September 2020, in Brussels and Los Angeles, we need to find potential resources that could help us sustain our activity. The Elevate Prize is exactly what we need in order to sustain our activity for the next few years, it will give the time needed to do the two canceled events in 2021 and secure these funds we planned for. We secured 50% of our budget and the Elevate Price will make it possible for us to move forward with our program and maintain the activity we planned for the next group of 24 MENA filmmakers.  

We'd be greatly benefit from mentoring on funding, legal and regulatory matters in North America and Europe as well as Marketing and exposure. We do have our sources but we definitely need assistance in order to sustain our 5 year's program that seek to build on the resources we have created for the past 14 years but find new sources, new creative ideas of finding financial support. We have a program that is built on where we could look for such support but we need connection and networking that could help us get an access to such funding. Since our program is highly successful and has concrete results, we are a great initiative for organizations and individual who are interested to join a prestigious initiative that has recognition, impact and impressive results.

In the professional field, we have managed to establish highly important partnership with significant partners around the world including USA, Canada, Middle East, North Africa and Europe. However, we do need to extend our partnership with organizations that could support us like Open Society Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, Time Warner Foundation, as well as the European Union, Anna Lindth Foundation, UNESCO Foundation to name a few.