First Cut Lab is a consultancy programme for feature films in the editing phase, an initiative that was originally launched by Tatino Films. According to the organisers, 2022 has proven to be its most successful year yet, and they are also launching six workshops for early 2023.

In figures, 50 films have been workshopped in the context of 16 labs during 2022, while 47 films by alumni were released, and out of those, 20 premiered at Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Sundance, Toronto and Venice. Another 17 movies premiered at Busan, DOK Leipzig, Göteborg, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastián, Sarajevo, Tallinn Black Nights, Tokyo, Tribeca and Visions du Réel. Furthermore, nine films put forward for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, representing the Czech Republic, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine, were part of First Cut Labs.

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The international team has also grown in scope, with contributions from experienced editorial consultants such as Matthieu Darras, Naomi Levari and Wim Vanacker; consultant editors such as Benjamin Mirguet, Catalin Cristutiu, Agnieszka Glinska, Maya Maffioli, Sebastian Sepulveda, Matthieu Taponier and Sebastian Winkels; and programme managers Natalia Libet and Julie Marnay.

For the coming year, First Cut Labs Belgium, Brazil, Netherlands, Philippines, Switzerland and Trieste have now opened their calls for projects, with a common deadline for applications set for 5 December. All of the necessary information can be found here.

The third edition of First Cut Lab Belgium will welcome at least two Belgian films previously supported either by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) or by the Film Centre of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Among the recent participants is A Life Like Any Other [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Faustine Cros, which recently won the Silver Dove at DOK Leipzig (see the news).

The third edition of First Cut Lab Netherlands will be open to films that have received support from the Netherlands Film Fund. The lab, which will be held online, will offer a flexible schedule to the selected titles in the first half of 2023. Among the previous participants are Pink Moon [+lee también:
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entrevista: Floor van der Meulen
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ficha de la película] by Martijn de Jong, which is the Netherlands’ representative for the Oscars.

A First Cut Lab will be organised in Switzerland for the second year, in collaboration with the Solothurn Film Festival. Two feature films from Switzerland will benefit from the initiative, to be held on site from 20-23 January. Last year, Thunder [+lee también:
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entrevista: Carmen Jaquier
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entrevista: Tizian Büchi
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entrevista: Michael Koch
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Organised in partnership with the When East Meets West co-production forum since 2015, First Cut Lab Trieste is now readying its eighth edition. First and second feature films in the editing phase from the When East Meets West focus countries will be eligible for the call: said countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and Spain, Portugal and Latin America (except Brazil). The programme will take place in Trieste, and films will be workshopped from 22-25 January.

Furthermore, Tatino Films is partnering up for the second year with Projeto Paradiso, a philanthropic initiative that supports filmmakers in Brazil. Two Brazilian films will take part in the lab. In 2022, two movies that participated in First Cut Lab Paradiso Brazil premiered at festivals: Tinnitus by Gregorio Graziosi, in Karlovy Vary’s Proxima Competition; and Charcoal by Carolina Markowicz, in Toronto’s Platform section.

Finally, the fourth edition of First Cut Lab Philippines has secured the support of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, and three films from South-East Asia will participate in the Manila-based event in late March. Some recent participants include Stone Turtle by Jing Min Woo, screened in the Locarno competition; Ajoomma by He Shuming, the Oscars submission for Singapore; Autobiography [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Makbul Mubarak, shown in Venice’s Orizzonti; and Glorious Ashes by Bui Thac Chuyen, which got an airing in Tokyo’s competition.