International documentary directors flock to Manchester for Discovery Campus

Budding documentary makers and creatives will flock to Manchester this month for Discovery Campus, an international documentary training initiative, taking place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.

The international event has been titled "Faster, Leaner, Keener, Meaner" and takes place at Manchester Town Hall on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May.

Highlights of the weekend will include talks by Mark Wild, newly appointed director of international development for National Geographic Channel and Elaine Frontain Byrant, director of nonfiction and alternative programming for the commissioning network, A&E.

Other presentations will include Caroline Behar of France Televisions, Portal Video from Boston, Charlotte Uzu from Films d'Ici and Sascha Hartmann from the Franco-German TV network, ARTE. The weekend will open with a word from Tom Koch, vice president of America's PBS distribution.

Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester, said: "The Discovery Campus is a great example of an event that is helping to increase Manchester's reputation as a centre for creative media and filmmaking.

"The event will also boost Manchester's status as a leading conference destination. With MediaCityUK opening in 2011, Discovery is a perfect opportunity to showcase the city to these industry professionals."

Donata von Perfall, director of Documentary Campus, said: "We believe that this event will be an important opportunity for documentary professionals and companies from the Manchester region and all of the UK as they will have access to senior personnel from international broadcasters and like-minded colleagues from all over Europe."

Those wishing to take part in the event still have time to apply and can register by filling out an application form available on the Discovery Campus website: www.discovery-campus.de The submission deadline for applications is the 14th May.

The two-day event is open to anybody with a keen interest in documentary production and costs EUR 170.00 to attend (for students and east Europeans; EUR 110.00 and a special discount also applies to Reelisors; EUR 150.00).

The symposium is organised by Discovery Campus in collaboration with the Marketing Manchester, the Northern Film Network, MIDAS and Salford University.