Workshops + Resources
We serve as a workshop for various aspects and stages of the film/media creation process.
And we are sharing that process with the wider creative community.
WORKSHOPS
Our monthly peer-to-peer workshops are our playground.
Each year is divided into two seasons - spring and fall. Each season involves monthly workshops where our members gather to read and workshop scripts, screen rough cuts of their work, and more. In addition to our regular sessions, we also hold additional workshops that focus on directing, acting, and more.
Kalakars workshops are a place for our members to experiment with their work, to get honest and constructive feedback, and build a community of support around what they are doing.
The goal of these workshops is to get scripts ready to go into production, or for rough cuts of projects to reach their finished stage.
SCRIPT TABLE READS
We organize and host table reads of feature scripts written by our members. These scripts have been workshopped before being presented to a wider audience for in-depth and professional feedback.
Our table reads are performed by many of the actors from within the Kalakars community, as well as from the wider New York City pool of actors.
With our feature table reads, our goal is to help the scriptwriter with more rigorous rewrites of their script, before getting it ready to move towards financing and packaging.
PRODUCTION RESOURCES
Our steadily growing Kalakars community now includes people working in all aspects of the filmmaking process. Our community serves as a valuable resource for production support.
Our members have been able to film sample reels, teasers, scene studies, audition tapes, and more, by leveraging the connections and resources available within the community. Our members are also able to connect with other crew members from within the community when making their projects, thereby furthering our mission to uplift each other professionally.
MASTERCLASSES & SHOWCASES
Beyond the members-only workshops, Kalakars hosts public events to benefit the wider filmmaking and creative community. This includes public script-reading showcases where we perform excerpts of scripts our members have been workshopping. In the past, we have organized a public script-reading showcase, which was hosted by Made in NY Film Center by IFP and Writers Guild of America-East, as well as one hosted by New York Indian Film Festival. We have also held a masterclasses focused on Sound Design & VFX.
In the coming year, we will be adding more special masterclass events where we spotlight experienced professionals from the industry that share their expertise. Our masterclasses will also be in partnership with other film and arts organizations, in an effort to bring various communities together.
COLLABORATING WITH THE INDUSTRY
We're not just focusing on nurturing new talent and stories. We also serve as a resource organization for the film and TV industry to collaborate on diversifying existing content that is out there. This can include:
Working with showrunners and writers rooms to help incorporate underrepresented minority characters into existing shows in an authentic way
Encouraging producers and decision-makers to tap into our pool of talent to add to their teams
Helping producers and production companies hire more people of color and women on their crews
...and more!
If you would like to discuss with us how Kalakars can help diversify your content and teams, please contact us. We're always happy to chat: hello@kalakars.org.
ARTIST MIXERS
Everyone loves a party…especially when you can also find future collaborators!
Kalakars periodically hosts artist and industry mixers in New York City as a way to gather some great talent under one roof. These mixers draw writers, filmmakers, producers, actors, festival organizers, and other folks working across the film and TV-making landscape. Besides being fun, artists that have met at our mixers have gone on to collaborate on projects and, if nothing else, have found cool new friends.
To know when our mixers are coming up in NYC, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @WeAreKalakars
