18 prizes supporting development and production were handed out at the TFL Meeting Event
- A total of 315,000 euros were awarded during the closing night of the November co-production market, which concludes TorinoFilmLab’s annual cycle of training courses
An atmosphere of great understanding and affinity characterised the awards ceremony of the 15th TFL Meeting Event, held on Saturday 26 November, which closed with the awarding of 315,000 euros divided between 18 prizes supporting the development and production of TorinoFilmLab’s projects, which was also made possible through the support of various international partners. The film co-production market, which unspools every November in Turin and which closes the annual cycle of training courses organised by TorinoFilmLab, which is itself organised by Italy’s National Film Museum, hosted two mornings of presentations screening 30 feature film projects to an audience of 260 industry professionals, and 630 meetings between participants and 140 potential co-producers and partners with whom they might embark upon collaborations and set about creating their films.
Four projects scooped the TFL Production Award, a production prize consisting of €40,000 per work. Weightless, by the Italian-naturalised Tunisian screenwriter and director Sara Fgaier (the owner of two European Film Awards for Best European Short by way of Humble Italy and The Years) and producer Marco Alessi of Dugong Films, revolves around a 65-year-old ethnomusicology teacher fighting a battle against amnesia. “FeatureLab helped me have faith in my project”, Sara Fgaier explained to Cineuropa. “Taking part in this first workshop in Warsaw was an important experience for me. Over the course of a week we engaged with different professionals, from producers through to script editors and director of photography. This gave us greater courage and freedom to make certain decisions and certain changes in the screenplay. These last few days have also been important for the one-to-one meetings we’ve had”. On the subject of the project’s progress, Marco Alessi added that “from a creative viewpoint, we’ve got a screenplay which is winning over all of our partners. In terms of production, we’re piecing the many different parts of the puzzle together and we’re hoping we’ll be able to shoot the film next year”. Speaking about his experience in Turin, Alessi explained that “FeatureLab is a unicum of excellence in the global development and mentoring landscape. Whoever organises it knows exactly what they’re doing. The expertise here, in terms of both creativity and production, is among the highest in Europe”.
Glory B, written and directed by Greece’s Konstantinos Antonopoulos together with Italian screenwriter Luigi Campi, with the support of producer Fani Skartouli and Either/Or Productions, turns the true story of Emperor Justinian into a minimalist existential comedy exploring the eternal paradox of power. Germany’s NiKo Film is just one of the co-producers secured by the film.
The third project to receive an award, Birth Right, is an Israeli movie narrated by 18-year-old Nietszka who discovers that her father was Jewish at his funeral and subsequently flees Warsaw and her oppressive mother, joining a group of teens from various Eastern European countries on a journey to Israel in search of their roots. Inbar Horesh is the film’s director and screenwriter, while Alona Refua is producing the movie via Green Productions. Horesh confessed to Cineuropa: “for me, the Lab was incredible for many reasons, the first being that writing a project is a lonely endeavour, I’m sat at home on my own and a lot of time passes before you see all the others on a film set. Sharing with others your work and the struggles you must face as a filmmaker is something which makes you feel part of a community and empowers you. And it’s also an experience you embark upon with your producer. In other residencies I’ve taken part in, I only looked at the project from the viewpoint of a director. In this instance, collaborating with my producer elevated the film both artistically and productively”.
Last but not least, Dengue is Indian screenwriter and director Prantik Basu’s first work, based upon his own personal experience of growing up gay in Kolkata. His producer Tanaji Dasgupta spoke to Cineuropa about his own experience: “This Lab was the most important part of the film’s journey: the script received so much praise! The feedback from mentors and the atmosphere within the group which has been working on modifications from June until now, has helped us to grow and explore the various possibilities open to us. The project is now in the final phase of development, and thanks to the impetus given by TFL we’ll start filming at the end of 2023”.
The awards are as follows:
FeatureLab
TFL Production Awards (from €40,000)
Birth Right - Inbar Horesh (Israel)
Producer: Alona Refua
Dengue - Prantik Basu (India)
Producer: Tanaji Dasgupta
Glory B - Konstantinos Antonopoulos (Greece)
Producer: Fani Skartouli
Weightless - Sara Fgaier (Italy)
Producer: Marco Alessi
ARRI Award (€10,000 for Best Visual Concept)
Al fondo a la derecha - Marta Hernaiz Pidal (Mexico)
Producer: Rosa Galguera Ortega
Sub-ti Access Award (up to €5,000)
Burning Well - M.G. Evangelista (Philippines/India/USA)
Producer: Karishma Dev Dube
Sub-ti Award (up to €2,000)
Al fondo a la derecha - Marta Hernaiz Pidal
ScriptLab
Eurimages Co-Production Development Award (€20,000)
Sealskin - Irene Moray (Spain)
Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award (€20,000)
Warrior - Masha Kondakova (Ukraine)
CNC Award (€8,000)
The Boy and the Fight of Spiders - Jarell Serencio (Philippines)
EWA Network Female Voices Award (€1,000 + 1 year of membership)
Doruntina Basha - Bleach (Kosovo)
TFL – Special Sustainability Prizes
TFL White Mirror Award (€3,000)
A Year Without Summer - Flurin Giger (Switzerland)
Green Filming Awards (€4,000 per project) in collaboration with the Trentino Film Commission
Abitanti - Kerstin Neuwirth (Austria/Germany)
Producer: Sophie Ahrens
Al fondo a la derecha - Marta Hernaiz Pidal
Glory B - Konstantinos Antonopoulos
Weightless - Sara Fgaier
Extra Awards
Post-Production Award (€20,000)
The Sweet Bitterness of Ripe Pomegranates - Andrey Volkashin (North Macedonia)
Producer: Elena Stanisheva
TFL Co-Production Fund - Creative Europe MEDIA Programme (€50,000) for co-productions between European and non-European firms
Viet and Nam - Minh Quý Trương (Vietnam/Germany)
Producer: Scarlet Visions
(Translated from Italian)
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