Chevening Networking Question - Global Film Network, being a film festival programmer and filmmaker

Networking Question

Chevening is looking for individuals ...

(minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

Networking is an essential matter in my line of work as a film festival programmer and filmmaker. FFD, an international-level film festival, must continue to maintain and enlarge its connection with both national and international/global film networking. As a program manager, I play a vital role in maintaining and developing our network. I managed to invite BRITDOC Foundation, Dutch Embassy, American Embassy, BEKRAF Indonesia, and DMZ Docs Korea to collaborate in our Masterclass program. The collaboration generated mutual advantages from both parties. The masterclass participants had the chance to consult their projects with the guest mentors as well as our partners who had special slot in the festival to showcase their products. I perceived this collaboration as a valuable network to furthermore developing the goals in international cultural diplomacy. With the current event held by British Council together with Indonesian Government such as UK/ID Festival, I see this networking can be a valuable asset in the future years.

Festival is a melting pot for film professionals and a strategic place to gain new connection. I also actively get in touch with every festival's guests. This effort provided me a better understanding and updated news on the cinema from all over the world. For this endeavour, I managed to get invited to a Film Archiving Workshop held by Thai Film Archive for the archivists in Southeast Asia after promoting my archiving activity in FFD. By attending this program, I was able to gain valuable knowledge to be shared with my fellow archivists in FFD and of course I gained new connection with Southeast Asian film archivists.

As a filmmaker, I have numbers of chances to attend international festivals that selected my film in their program such as Cannes International Film Festival and Singapore International Film Festival. I used this occasion to promote my film to international film programmers which made my film get screened in other festivals as well. My connections with film programmers also benefited my new project promotion and platform finding for the premieres as well as screenings. From all benefit on the networking, I also managed to have Riri Riza, Indonesian prominent figure in cinema and also a Chevening Alumni, as one of my referees.

If I received the Chevening Scholarship, I will use the opportunity to become an ambassador to promote film culture between Indonesia and the UK. Through this cultural diplomacy, we can achieve a better understanding as a nation and to learn from one to another.

Henry, this essay should be about how you use your networks in developing your career, and in this essay, I think there is less explanation about it. for example you wrote that you managed to invite BRITDOC Foundation, Dutch Embassy, American Embassy, BEKRAF Indonesia, and DMZ Docs Korea to collaborate in yours Masterclass program. The question is, How did you successfully invite them? do you know someone who can introduce you to all the parties you mentioned??, or do you personally invite those parties who happen to know you?. You need to explain how your network helps solve the problems you encounter in your assignment.

@obbiescholar

Understood. Thanks for you feedback!

Henri, remove the reference to the British Council in this essay. Save that for the Post Study plan because it asks for a UK property project reference. That would be the more appropriate reference for the relationship you mentioned. The overall networking presentation is impressive. It shows a clear reference to your networking skills and how you developed these. Please make sure to indicate that these networks are still being maintained for future use on your end. At the moment, the essay isn't really showing an active relevance of the network with your current activities. You may need to indicate if you are still an active filmmaker at the moment to establish that. It is pivotal to your application. Towards the end, you need to satisfy the expectation that your network has a specific use to the Chevening program. In addition, you should also explain how you hope to use the current Chevening network in this field as part of efforts to promote the scholarship program.