The 15th edition of When East Meets West (WEMW) will take place in Trieste from 19-22 January. This milestone edition introduces fresh opportunities for creative collaboration and innovation within the film industry. With a strong emphasis on bridging geographical and cultural divides, WEMW 2025 has unveiled its East & West Focus, highlighting the Baltic countries and the Benelux, thus pressing on with its mission to push boundaries and foster international cooperation.

For the past 15 years, WEMW has been renowned for uniting professionals from Eastern and Western Europe, creating a platform for dialogue, collaboration and cultural exchange. The 2025 edition will spotlight Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, encouraging new business and creative partnerships across these regions. The East & West Focus is supported by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Screen Flanders, screen.brussels, the CCA - Film and Audiovisual Centre, the Netherlands Film Fund, Film Fund Luxembourg, the Estonian Film Institute, the Lithuanian Film Centre and the National Film Centre of Latvia.

WEMW 2025 will feature an extensive programme of 15 initiatives, divided across five core sections: the Co-Production Forum, Work in Progress sessions, EAVE Slate, Inspirational Labs and First Cut Lab Trieste.

The Co-Production Forum is the centrepiece of WEMW, where 20 projects in development will be selected to be pitched in front of over 500 professionals and decision makers from 60 countries. The forum is open to live-action features, creative documentaries and short animated projects, with particular attention given to the 2025 spotlight regions. Participants will compete for major prizes, including the Film Center Serbia Development Award and the CICLIC WEMW Award, along with additional accolades like the EAVE Producers Workshop Scholarship and the Pop Up Film Residency Award. The deadline for submissions is 18 October, with further details available here.

Two distinct Works in Progress sections offer opportunities for projects at later stages of development. Last Stop Trieste focuses on documentary projects at the fine-cut stage. Eligible projects must have been developed or presented through partner platforms such as the Ex-Oriente Film workshop or Baltic Sea Docs. Selected documentaries will compete for awards like the HBO Europe Award and the Film Center Montenegro Award. This is IT is dedicated to feature films and hybrid projects with strong artistic visions, produced or co-produced by filmmakers from Italy or the 2025 spotlight countries. This section will culminate in a competition for the Laser Film Award. The submission deadline for both programmes is 5 November, with more information available here.

EAVE Slate will select up to 12 European and Latin American production companies developing a slate of audiovisual projects. Participants will benefit from EAVE’s renowned group-work method, combined with individual consultations and strategic planning sessions to help companies diversify their portfolios and manage potential risks. The deadline for applications is 5 November, with further details here.

The Inspirational Labs, consisting of 11 labs designed to foster innovation and exploration, will invite producers from Europe, Latin America and Canada to explore new content and business models. These labs will cover a range of cutting-edge topics, including AI, animation production, drama series content, impact and outreach strategy, streamers and online distribution, private equity funding, video game development, genre film production, docu-series, virtual production, and international co-production. More information is available here.

Finally, First Cut Lab Trieste offers selected films the opportunity to undergo an intensive review and feedback process. Teams composed of the director, producer and editor will present their rough cuts to a panel of international film advisors and receive tailored guidance from an expert consultant editor. The lab aims to unlock the full artistic potential of participating projects by providing both creative and technical support. More information is available here.

According to the organisers, WEMW 2025 reinforces the idea that opposition and complementarity go hand in hand – there is no west without east, no sense of self without understanding the other. Stepping beyond the familiar and comfortable isn’t just about broadening one’s perspective; it’s about redefining oneself. Over the past 15 years, WEMW has expanded these concepts beyond simple geography, helping industry professionals transition from traditional methods to embracing innovative tools, new business models and evolving technologies. In a rapidly transforming industry, the 2025 programme mirrors this complexity, promoting a balance between creativity and innovation as the pathway to the future.

WEMW 2025 is once again organised by the FVG Audiovisual Fund in collaboration with the Trieste Film Festival, EAVE and Creative Europe Desk Italy, with the unwavering support of Creative Europe – MEDIA, MIC - Direzione Generale per il Cinema, CEI – Central European Initiative, Film Center Serbia, Ciclic - Centre-Val de Loire Region and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.