We are currently preparing a new feature-length project about the true story of two courageous investigative journalists who risked their lives to expose a systematic humanitarian disaster of huge geopolitical significance.

We are looking for Uyghur actors worldwide.

Our Europe-based film team is currently preparing a feature-length fictional film project based on the true stories of two Uyghur journalists who played a major role in uncovering the genocide.
The film explores their journey, the challenges they faced, and the impact of their work. We are looking to hire actors from the Uyghur community.

Filming will take place in Europe in late 2024.
Actors will collaborate with experienced Uyghur and non-Uyghur filmmakers, with extensive preparation and rehearsals before filming.


REQUIREMENTS
- Uyghur individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Previous acting experience is welcome but not mandatory.
- All ages and genders are welcome at this stage. We have small and big roles to fill.

HOW TO APPLY
- Send an email or text message to the contact below.
- You don’t have to include your full name.
- Optionally, you can include any relevant acting, film or theatre experience.
- We’ll be in touch with next steps.

Deadline is the 30th of April, 2024.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.


CONTACT FOR APPLICATIONS AND QUESTIONS
Franz Böhm

E-Mail: franz.boehm@protonmail.com
E-Mail: mail@franzboehm.com
Signal: +49 170 5444000
Website: https://franzboehm.com
Instagram: @franzbhm

E-Mails will be answered within 48 hours.
All information will stay strictly confidential.
The project is being conducted in compliance with industry standards and regulations.



Feel free to check out our previous film:
Dear Future Children (2021)

We look forward to receiving your applications and appreciate your interest in being part of this important project.

Franz Böhm

he/him, Director | franzboehm.com

Following his work as assistant director and production assistant in Germany and the UK, Franz Böhm directed several short films of his own with a focus on social and political issues. His Hot Docs Audience Award winning debut feature film Dear Future Children had theatrical releases nationwide in the UK, Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden and was released on Netflix DACH in October 2022. Böhm graduated with an MA in Directing Fiction from the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London.

Johannes Schubert

he/him, Producer | schubert.film

After graduating from the NFTS and the Film University Babelsberg, Johannes Schubert has worked in Austria, Germany and the UK. His producer credits include the Hot Docs Audience Award winner Dear Future Children and the European Film Award-nominated short Kontener. Schubert is one of the producers on Jessica Hausner’s second English-language film Club Zero which was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Suli Kurban

she/her, Writer & Co-Director | sulikurban.com

Due to political persecution, Suli Kurban – together with her mother and brother – fled from Ürümchi (Western China) to Germany in 1999. After living six years in a home for asylum seekers, Kurban took on the leading role in a film project about excluded young people in 2007. In 2019 she graduated from the University of Television and Film in Munich (HFF). Two years later, Kurban took over the editorial management for the social media project „ichbinsophiescholl“. She was awarded the European Civis Media Prize for one of her reports for the German public-service radio and television broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR).

Samuel Gheist

he/him, Writer | samuelgheist.com

Growing up in the US and Germany, Samuel Gheist gained early filmmaking experience through an intensive program at NYC's School of Visual Arts. Since 2018, Gheist is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany and is active as screenwriter, script editor and translator. His credits include shows for Netflix and Sky, such as the German series Barbarians. He is currently completing his studies in screenwriting at the renowned Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

Mirkamel Tourghoun

he/him, Casting Assistant

Mirkamel ("Mirka") Tourghoun, an Uyghur digital director graduate from the University Léonard De Vinci in Paris, has garnered experience as a 3D animation director for international projects at Vinci Construction. Beyond his professional pursuits, Tourghoun is a passionate Uyghur activist with a deep commitment to music and visual creation. Actively participating in numerous documentaries, films, and artistic projects related to his culture and Uyghur topics, he shares his experience with the European Uyghur Institute, primarily focusing on the artistic aspect. In addition to his endeavors, Tourghoun is a composer and musician, leading a collaborative project centered around Uyghur poems with his band Wtfkistan.

Jieun Yi

she/her, Cinematographer | jieun-yi.com

Raised in a small village in Danyang, South Korea, Jieun Yi moved to Berlin in 2006 to study cinematography at the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg. For O Beautiful Night, she was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2020 German Film Awards and for the German Camera Award in the Feature Film category. In 2023, Yi received an invitation to the Berlinale Special Gala section of the Berlin International Film Festival with Sun and Concrete ("Sonne und Beton") by David Wnendt. Based on the bestseller by Felix Lobrecht, the film received four nominations for the German Film Award 2023, including Best Feature Film. Pretty Face ("Hübsches Gesicht"), a miniseries that Yi shot in 2022, was nominated for the 2023 Grimme Award. She lives and works in Berlin.

Carla Luffe

she/her, Editor | imdb.com

Carla Luffe, born 1989, is an editor based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her work spans wide between fiction and commercials. Starting her career at Zentropa, she eventually graduated from The National Film School of Denmark in 2015, and has quickly after that moved to become one of the leading young editors in Scandinavia, working with directors such as Billie August & Martin Werner. Her sensitive eye for emotion and timing has given her a well known reputation among the Scandinavian film- and commercial community. One of her latest films, The Guilty won the 2018 Sundance Audience Award. She lives in NYC.

Tanja Hausner

she/her, Costume Designer | imdb.com

After studying design, fashion and interior design, Austrian-born Tanja Hausner began her career creating the costumes for her sister Jessica Hausner's student films. She went on to work with Ulrich Seidl, Sebastian Meise and Philipp Stölzl, among others. At the German Film Awards she received four nominations and two awards for her work on Chess Story ("Schachnovelle") and Sisi & I ("Sisi & Ich"). The Austrian Film Award honoured her with five nominations, including another award for Chess Story and an earlier award for the film Angelo. Great Freedom ("Große Freiheit"), one of her most recent projects, won the Jury Prize at Cannes, the German Film Award and the Austrian Film Award, both in major categories. Tanja Hausner is a member of the Austrian Film Academy and the Association of Austrian Film Designers (VÖF).

Sarah Golding

she/her, Script Editor | imdb.com

Sarah Golding is a freelance script development executive working in feature films in the UK, France, Germany and Austria. Before joining Rainy Day Films she was Head of Development for Potboiler Productions, where projects developed included The Constant Gardner (Academy Award and BAFTA nominated screenplay) and Brothers of the Head. She has also been Head of Development for Skreba Films, Development Manager at Zenrith Entertainment and Script Consultant for Yorkshire Television, Pagoda Films and Fair Game Films. Recent features on which she has worked include Lady Macbeth (2016), Another Me (2014), Patagonia (2010), The Edge of Love (2008) and The Escapist (2008). She has been a tutor on the MA Producing course at the National Film and Television School since 1998.

Fabian Lieb

he/him, Production Coordinator

Fabian Lieb has gained experience in a diverse range of companies and disciplines. These include film production, marketing, design and editorial work. In 2020, he completed his bachelor's degree in film production with first-class honours and is now working on various international projects. His focus is on production and creative direction - always with an eye on unique, provocative and intimate stories and narrative styles.

Ayturk Tashpolat

she/her, Project Advisor

Ayturk Tashpolat is currently an undergraduate pursuing Cinematic Arts BFA degree at Indiana University Bloomington. As an Uyghur herself she was influenced by the concerning human rights issues in her hometown and decided to become a filmmaker to tell the Uyghurs' stories. She is an active member of her film club and has worked in different positions in student film projects.

We are grateful to have received funding from the MFG Film Fund Baden-Württemberg , the Austrian Film Institute (ÖFI), the Vienna Film Fund (FFW) and the Filmförderanstalt (FFA).

The project is also supported by the German public broadcasters SWR and ARTE and was part of the FOCAL Production Value workshop 2023 in Riga.

It is being developed in collaboration with ACE Producers and supported by various institutions, experts and additional prominent individuals in the subject area.

We are also working closely with the real people behind the characters to tell the stories as truthfully as possible.

The screenplay was nominated for the Thomas Strittmatter Prize 2023.

A Kickstarter campaign is planned in the further course.

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