The TorinoFilmLab (TFL) seems to be strengthening its ties with its alumni. Determined to be a constant reference point on the international film scene, TFL has set up the Alumni Grant, consisting of a €40,000 fund exclusively available to directors who’ve already taken part in its programmes.

The goal is to offer a tangible boost to TFL alumni’s career paths, supporting the production of new film projects which are set to begin shooting in 2026. In this sense, TFL aims to be a place alumni can always return to – for guidance, mentorship and support – at any stage of their careers. TFL is also looking to act as a veritable hub for the alumni community: a space for connection, collaboration and shared growth. As stated by National Museum of Cinema president Carlo Chatrian in his opening speech at the 18th TFL Meeting Event, the aim is to build the cinema of the future together.

By way of a dedicated call for submissions, the TorinoFilmLab jury selected two winning projects, which were officially announced at this year’s TFL Meeting Event (read the news). As the highlight of the lab, the Meeting Event has subsequently become a stage for revealing the titles and industry talent set to breathe life into TFL’s upcoming productions.

The projects are as follows:

Nightsong - Maya Da-Rin (Brazil/Portugal/France)
Production: Tamandua Vermelho, Cinemascopio, Uma Pedra No Sapato, Still Moving
The first of the prizes went to Maya Da-Rin’s third feature, Nightsong, a fantasy-tinged drama exploring a friendship between a young farm boy and an elderly indigenous Guaran woman on a soybean plantation in southern Brazil, which is tested by a new and mysterious plant which is resistant to pesticides. Maya Da-Rin’s work ranges from fiction films to documentaries and video installations. Her debut feature, The Fever [+lire aussi :
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interview : Maya Da-Rin
fiche film] (2019), developed in TorinoFilmLab, was presented in competition in Locarno that same year, where it won the Leopard for Best Actor, as well as the FIPRESCI Prize and the Special Jury Prize. The film went on to claim a variety of awards internationally. The Nightsong project is at an advanced stage, currently location scouting and casting, and is almost fully financed. The project was presented at the Meeting Event by producer Juliette Lepoutre of Still Moving, who previously produced The Fever and other titles such as Rule 34 [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (awarded the Golden Leopard in Locarno), Tiger Stripes [+lire aussi :
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interview : Amanda Nell Eu
fiche film] (scooping the Grand Prize in Cannes’ Critics’ Week) and I Only Rest in the Storm [+lire aussi :
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interview : Pedro Pinho
fiche film] (earning its protagonist Best Actress this year in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section).

Soon We Will All Be History Here - Saeed Taji Farouky (United Kingdom/Palestine/Malta)
Producer: Maria Caruana Galizia (​​Candle & Bell Limited)
The accompanying prize went to a 2021 Script Lab project entitled Soon We Will Be History Here, by Saeed Taji Farouky, which tells the story of Suleiman, a boy who finds solace, after losing his sister, in helping a wounded falcon heal. The Palestinian director has been making films around themes such as conflict and human rights since 2004, and his documentary, A Thousand Fires, which premiered in Locarno’s Critics’ Week, bagged the Marco Zucchi Award. He’s also known for Tell Spring Not to Come This Year [+lire aussi :
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interview : Saeed Taji Farouky |
fiche film], a documentary about the Afghan army which nabbed two awards at the 2015 Berlinale and was selected in over 40 festivals. The project’s producer is Maria Caruana Galizia, who’s also working on The Date by Alex Barrett.