29/06/2016 - The five Italian films feature the new comedy by Alessandro Siani and Reinhold Messner’s film on the tragic ascent of Ama Dablam. A further three projects come from Germany, and one from Austria

Within the framework of its second call for applications of 2016 (the deadline for which was 4 May), the IDM – South Tyrol Film Fund & Commission has approved funding for nine film and television projects, representing a total investment of €1,790,000 and approximately 142 days of shooting in South Tyrol.

Of the chosen projects, five are Italian, three are German and one is Austrian. The Italian productions include Mister Felicità [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] (provisional title), the new comedy by Alessandro Siani, who became box office champion in 2013 and 2015 with Il principe abusivo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (which took €14.3 million and was also filmed in South Tyrol) and Si accettano miracoli [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (€15.3 million) respectively. The director and actor will share the set with Diego Abatantuono and Carla Signoris, to tell the story of the exploits of Martino, a young Neapolitan slacker and pessimist who moves to Northern Italy to scrounge off his sister Caterina. The film is being produced by Cattleya and the IDM will support the production with €200,000.

Another Italian project that was chosen is that which is being directed by mountaineer Reinhold Messner, Der Heilige Berg. The film, which portrays the ill-fated expedition of four climbers up the western face of the Ama Dablam mountain in Nepal, is being support by the IDM with production funding of €110,000. Two South Tyrolean productions will also receive funding. The first is Zweitland, a film that is being directed by Michael Kofler and produced by Bolzano-based company Echo Film, in co-production with Austrian company SK-Film und Fernsehproduktionsgesellschaft and German company Starhaus Filmproduktion: the film tells the story of two brothers living in South Tyrol in 1961, at the time of the separatist terror attacks (and will receive funding of €480,000). The second South Tyrolean project is TV documentary Oswald von Wolkensteinby Klaus Romen,which is being produced by Bolzano-based company Videocap: set in Medieval times, it centres around the knight, poet and storyteller of the same name from South Tyrol (the project will receive €30,000).

Completing the selection of Italian productions isKino Produzioni, which will receive pre-production funding of €20,000 for Sole [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlo Sironi
film profile], the debut feature by Carlo Sironi, which is being co-produced by French company Méroé Films.

Moving beyond Italy we have the German project of production company Letterbox, Die Pfefferkörner und der Fluch der Berge byChristian Theede, which is based on successful children’s TV series Grani di pepe and centres around a young trio of budding detectives (the project will receive support of €500,000).

Another German project that has been chosen is Urban Divas, a series written and directed by Natalie Spinell andproduced by Lüthje Schneider Hörl Film,which accompanies the protagonist Lou on her quest for a man in the age of “pick-up Apps” (the film is receiving funding of €100,000). Last but not least from Germany is romantic comedy Verliebt, verlobt,…vergeigt by Christina Schiewe, which is being produced by Die Film and will receive funding from South Tyrol of €100,000.

Finally there’s a TV crime series directed by Umut Dag, Schlussrechnung, which is being produced by Austrian company Allegro Film in co-production with German company Lieblingsfilm and will receive funding from the IDM of €250,000.

The third and final deadline of 2016 for submitting applications for funding is 28 September. All the relevant information can be found here.

(Translated from Italian)