First Time Filmmaker goes Vietnam

• Discovery Channel launches FTFM Vietnam
• Is a training and development program for local filmmakers
• Five 30 minute documentaries to premiere next year
  

Vietnam - Discovery Channel has launched First Time Filmmaker (FTFM) Vietnam, a project designed to develop and support the documentary storytelling skills of local filmmakers.

FTFM Vietnam will give Vietnamese filmmakers the opportunity to gain recognition on an international level, through hands-on training and professional development from Discovery Channel producers.

The initiative aims to tell the story of Vietnam over the past 20 years, its transformation from a war-torn country to an emerging force in the regional economy.

The five 30-minute documentaries will premiere on Discovery Channel next year.

Proposals for "Vietnam's Urban Transition" project can be submitted online and filmmakers have been encouraged to submit an application form that includes a title, story summary, an estimated budget, and contact information for the filmmaker and crew.

Twelve proposals will be chosen by a panel of foreign and Vietnamese judges, and will be invited to attend a three-day television documentary production workshop in Hanoi in late September.