IZMIR 2011

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«Car le vrai rôle d'un festival est d'aider les artistes à oser, à entreprendre des projets...»

Bernard Faivre d'Arcier, former director of Festival d’Avignon
and Chairman of Les Biennales de Lyon, France

Looking back on Atelier IZMIR 2011

From 24 to 31 October 2011 in Izmir (Turkey), the European Festivals Association (EFA) – together with the International Izmir Festival – organised the fourth edition of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers.

A group of 45 participants from all over the world was invited to take part in this intense course from 24 to 31 October 2011 in Izmir. The Atelier is especially designed for those who are working or have ambitions to become involved in programming or in programming related departments within a festival. Participants develop exciting new ideas under the professional and extremely generous guidance of renowned festival managers.

Next to high-level reflections in small topic-based working groups, lectures and debates, practical activities and case studies, interactive exchanges based on papers that participants prepared for the Atelier, informal talks and contacts with artists and with leading cultural institutions from the region created an outstanding opportunity to link insights gained in the working groups with the concrete environment.

City

The Atelier took place in Izmir, the 3rd largest city of Turkey on the Aegean coast in Asia Minor. The exceptional historic and cultural features of this ancient city (including the ruins of Ephesus) bonding Asia to Europe offered food for thought during the Atelier.

Theme

The motto borrowed from Bernard Faivre d’Arcier “The true role of a festival is to help artists to dare, to engage in new projects” is the theme of the Atelier. Particular emphasis is placed on the artistic aspects of festival management, including artistic vision, political and social responsibility, internationalisation, networking, renewal and sustainability.

Presenters

Leading and experienced festival operators, professionals and artists gave lectures, lead workshops and took part in round tables and debates – all of them spent some days with the participants of the Atelier for face-to-face contacts and discussions:

• Ching Lee Goh (Executive and Artistic of DirectorCultureLink, Former Director of the Singapore Arts Festival - Singapore)
• Hugo De Greef (former EFA Secretary General (2004-2008), General Manager Brugge European Capital of Culture 2002, Founder and former director Kaaitheater, Brussels - Belgium)
• Nele Hertling (Member of the Strategy Group “A Soul for Europe”, former Director Hebbel-Theatre, Berlin, General Manager European Capital of Culture Berlin 1988 - Germany)
• Rose Fenton (Director of Free World, London - UK)
• Robyn Archer (Creative Director of The Centenary of Canberra (2013), Artistic Director of The Light in Winter - Australia)
• Jonathan Mills (Director & Chief Executive of the Edinburgh International Festival - UK)
• Michał Merczyński (Director of the National Audiovisual Institute in Warsaw - Poland)
• Fruzsina Szép (Program Director of the Sziget Festival in Budapest, founding Director of the Hungarian Music Export Office - Hungary)

Participants

The Atelier is a working space especially designed for festival operators:

• dealing with one or more artistic disciplines within a festival
• ha ving a basic practical knowledge in festival operation
• demonstrating the ambition to deepen their skills in the field of programming or in a department closely related to it (e.g. communication, production...)
• proving alternatively that a study course (already completed or due to be completed) is in line with the Atelier
• giving evidence of his/her ambition to work in the festival business

Organisation

Co-organisers:

• Initiator and coordinator: European Festivals Association: www.efa-aef.eu
• Host and co-organiser: International Izmir Festival: www.iksev.org

Official Airline to this event:

Special offer with Lufthansa – discounted travel for Atelier for Young Festival Managers - IZMIR 2011 attendees: Lufthansa German Airlines offers a comprehensive global route network linking Izmir with major cities around the world. As the Official Airline to this event, Lufthansa offers special prices and conditions to all attendees.

Related documents

Press Releases

• Press release (15 November 2011): Atelier IZMIR 2011: great success
• Press release (19 October 2011): Atelier IZMIR 2011:Opening ceremony with Robyn Archer
• Press release (30 August 2011): Atelier IZMIR 2011: 47 participants selected, 10 presenters confirmed
• Press release (28 February 2011): IZMIR 2011: Application still open until 7 April 2011
• Press release (10 November 2010): Launch Ateliers 2011
• Communiqué de presse (10 novembre 2010): Lancement Ateliers 2011
• Pressemitteilung (10. November 2010): Ankündigung Ateliers 2011

Call for Application & Application Form

• Call for Application
• Appel à Candidature
• Aufruf zur Einreichung von Bewerbungen
• Application Form

Back to general information about the Atelier for Young Festival Managers!