After four seasons of in-depth exploration into the processes behind storytelling, StoryTANK, the European think tank supported by Creative Europe – MEDIA, is entering a new phase. Established in 2020 by Le Groupe Ouest, the project has been bridging the worlds of research and storytelling, sparking dialogue between scientists, screenwriters, playwrights and filmmakers. Its fifth season, however, has taken a leap forward: it experiments directly with how stories are born, observed and captured on camera.

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The fifth edition, recorded from 25-29 November 2024 at Le Groupe Ouest’s premises in Brittany, marks the first-ever use of The Factory of Worlds, a one-of-a-kind creative facility developed under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture. Here, six researchers and six screenwriters from across Europe and beyond were invited to participate in a filmed experiment designed to test the emergence of story ideas in controlled, sensory environments.

At a time when the act of storytelling is being reshaped by digital transformation, artificial intelligence and shifting social paradigms, StoryTANK’s fifth season aims to shed light on the evolving role of the imagination and the ways in which narrative creation adapts to a rapidly changing world.

Three experimental prototypes served as the backbone of this exploration: the Cave, the Black Room and the Plateau. Each space provided distinct physical and psychological conditions to observe how stories arise, interact and mutate through human perception and collective imagination.

The team brought together a group of thinkers and creators, including: Samira Bourgeois-Bougrine, lecturer in psychology and cognitive ergonomics at the University of Paris Cité (France); Théo Gorin, actor, improviser and PhD in language sciences (France); Michael Hanchett Hanson, developmental psychologist and director of the “Creativity and Cognition” programme at Teachers College, Columbia University (USA); Jean-Loïc Le Quellec, anthropologist and prehistorian specialising in Saharan rock art (France); Wendy Ross, cognitive psychologist at London Metropolitan University (UK); and Yves Sarfati, doctor in medicine and neurosciences, psychoanalyst and writer (France).

They were joined by six screenwriters and filmmakers: Gabrielle Brady (Germany/Australia), Violette Garcia (France), Massimiliano Nardulli (Italy/Romania), Marcel Beaulieu (Canada/France), Raitis Ābele (Latvia) and Isla Badenoch (Ireland/UK). The experiment was conceived and directed by Aurélie Valat (France/Greece), screenwriter and script consultant, in collaboration with Antoine Le Bos, founder and director of Le Groupe Ouest and StoryTANK.

Through this setting, StoryTANK continues its mission to explore the inner workings of fiction-making. By placing storytellers and researchers in direct interaction, it aims to reveal the cognitive and emotional mechanisms that drive creativity.

All filmed material and findings from this fifth season, including footage from The Factory of Worlds and detailed insights into the experimental prototypes, are available on StoryTANK’s new online platform and YouTube channel, inviting audiences to experience firsthand how stories take form and evolve. More details regarding the process and the background of the fifth season can be found in the official booklet.