On Monday 1 September, Fondazione Prada officially unveiled its new film fund during the Venice Production Bridge (28 August-3 September), signalling a significant step forwards in the institution’s ongoing commitment to cinema. In detail, the initiative is designed to sustain independent film production worldwide, with no restrictions on genre, theme or language.

The fund will begin operations with an allocation of €1.5 million, aimed at supporting 10-12 feature-length projects each year, including documentaries and animated works. Selected titles will receive backing at the development, production or post-production stages, with grants of up to €250,000 available for production.

The project is led by Paolo Moretti – formerly head of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight – in collaboration with programmer Rebecca De Pas. “We want to create a very diverse slate and prioritise projects that push boundaries,” said Moretti, underlining that the fund is conceived as a long-term commitment. “It’s not a lot of money, but it’s a start. We are entering uncharted territory, opening up to many countries and types of films. This first edition will be a learning process.”

Beyond the financial contribution, the fund aims to act as a catalyst for wider interest around the selected films. “We hope to trigger new dynamics, not only in terms of funding, but also visibility. The selection will be curated like a festival, attracting attention that may help close budgets,” Moretti noted.

A high-profile group of international advisors has been brought on board to support the selection process. Among them are: Argentinian programmer and producer Violeta Bava; Paolo Bertolin, curator and artistic director of the New Zealand International Film Festival; Émilie Bujès, artistic director of Visions du Réel; Michelle Carey, consultant and former Melbourne Film Festival director; Deepti D’Cunha, former artistic director of MAMI Mumbai; Claire Diao, critic, programmer and founder of Sudu Connexion; Sergio Fant, programmer and curator for several European festivals; critic and programmer Evgeny Gusyatinskiy; Daniela Persico, director of the Bellaria Film Festival; Venice programmer Alessandra Speciale; and Portuguese-based producer Yaoting Zhang.

Unlike Miu Miu Women’s Tales – the Prada-backed short-film series presented annually in the Giornate degli Autori and loosely tied to the fashion brand’s aesthetic – the Fondazione Prada Film Fund will operate entirely independently of fashion-related themes.

The first call for applications for the Fondazione Prada Film Fund is open from 1 September-17 October.