#08 TFI Specials | TorinoFilmLab: a bridge between the Italian industry and the global market
Ottobre 2025
The monthly TFI Specials are back, and for this eighth edition they feature TorinoFilmLab, organised by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA sub-programme of the European Union, linked to the main film institutions based in Torino and Piemonte.
Dedicated to the development and training of audiovisual professionals, TorinoFilmLab consolidates Boost IT Lab's role as a reference programme for promoting Italian projects beyond national borders. The focus is on international co-production: bringing together emerging producers and directors interested in building a global profile, with feature films in development seeking Italian production partners.
This year, Boost IT Lab is expanding its scope: the eight selected projects will conclude the programme with a pitch at the TFL Meeting Event (20–22 November 2025), the co-production market that brings together over 250 international decision makers every year, including producers, sales agents, funds, broadcasters and platforms. This is a natural transition from the training phase to meeting the industry, consolidating the lab's mission: to transform ideas into concrete films.
We discussed this and much more with Francesco Giai Via, Head of Studies at Boost IT Lab.
_______________________
This year, Boost IT Lab officially joins the TFL Meeting Event. What does this step represent?
It is the completion of a journey. For the first time, the projects developed within the Lab will be able to compete in what is the most important event in the annual calendar of TFL activities, interacting with producers and professionals from all over the world. It is not just a question of visibility, but of a phase in which creative research meets the industrial dimension. The aim is to help authors and producers identify the core of their project and translate it into a shared language capable of communicating on an international scale.
Boost IT Lab is considered a “tailor-made” laboratory. What is the key to this method?
We work on a direct approach: continuous discussion, targeted feedback, and the opportunity for teams to measure themselves against different perspectives. There is no single model: tutors adapt tools and strategies to the specific needs of each project. This year, the programme is accompanied by nine professionals from across Europe — Nicolò Gallio, Gabor Greiner, Chiara Laudani, Eilon Ratzkovsky, Aleksandra Świerk, Barbara Tonelli, Nadia Trevisan, Elisa Vittone, and Bonnie Williams. Each brings a different background, whether creative, productive or market-related. It is this variety of perspectives that makes the Lab a place of real, intense but concrete exchange, where training is in constant dialogue with production practice.
The 2025 selection stands out for its diversity of themes and approaches. What trends emerge from the chosen projects?
It is a rich and very varied selection, both in tone and origin. There are intimate films, such as Tommaso Frangini's “The Second Adolescence”, produced by Vincenzo Filippo (Lupin Film), a story about second chances born from the short film “Foto di gruppo”. Others explore the connection between the body and the environment, such as Mariangela Ciccarello's “Inner Sea”, produced by Yannis Karpouzis (Empty Square, Greece), a sensory journey through science, ecology and memory, or Miriam Gili's “Caretta Caretta”, with Ivan Casagrande Conti (Chiotto Film), which intertwines femininity and metamorphosis based on a personal experience.
Many of the projects seem to cross boundaries, whether geographical or identity-related. Is this a deliberate trait?
I would say rather that it reflects contemporary cinema. Sean Ali Wang's “Pratopia”, with producers Helen Tsang and Jia Zhao, tells the story of the Chinese community in Prato, suspended between its roots and its future. Willy Hans' “At the Beginning of Something”, produced by Julia Cöllen (Fünferfilm), moves through the world of Milanese fashion to investigate the tension between image and identity. These are films that cross territories and affiliations, questioning the very boundaries of reality.
Even the languages seem extremely different. What direction emerges on an aesthetic and narrative level?
Heterogeneity is a value. Sophie Galibert's “Grizzly”, starring Arthur Cohen, delicately recounts vulnerability and care as forms of resistance; Rami Jarboui and Julien Coquet's “The Salt of the South” tackles social wounds through a hybrid language that blends documentary with fiction, while Rai María's “The Big Rip (El Gran Desgarro)”, produced by Cristina Hergueta, is an apocalyptic dramedy that combines irony and emotional urgency. A common tension emerges in all these projects: to recount the fragility of the present while keeping faith alive in the gaze.
Boost IT Lab is also a meeting point for professionals. How important is this networking aspect today?
It is central. The Lab was created precisely to forge connections between Italian and international industry, promoting dialogue that combines practicality and vision. It is a path that, by its very nature, looks beyond borders but remains anchored to the reality of production. Concluding the process at the Meeting Event represents a natural evolution: from development work to the opportunity to meet those who can accompany these projects into their next phase.
Are there examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of this model in the long term?
Yes, and one of the most representative is that of Matteo Tortone. His project “Inverno” went through several stages of the TFL: in 2020 with Up&Coming, in 2022 with Alpi Film Lab, and in 2025 with FeatureLab, together with EIE Film and co-screenwriter Zelia Zbogar. The journey also gave rise to the short film “Domenica Sera”, winner of the David di Donatello award for best short film in 2025. It is a perfect example of continuous development: a process that allows projects to grow organically, maturing over time. Each result becomes a basis for new opportunities and for the growth of the professionals involved.
Looking ahead, what direction do you envisage for Boost IT Lab and TFL Italia programmes?
I think the future is made up of connections, not barriers. We will continue to strengthen the links between Italian and international cinema, while maintaining freedom of vision as a fundamental principle. Italy has enormous creative potential and needs spaces where ideas can grow without compromise. Boost IT Lab was created for this reason: to offer a context where stories can breathe, where training means giving shape to talent. Listening to reality, staying true to one's own voice, and transforming it into cinema: this is the direction we will continue to follow.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that TorinoFilmLab is already seeking participants for its 2026 programmes.
- ScriptLab & Story Editing – Deadline: 3 November 2025. Aimed at screenwriters and directors working on an original idea or adaptation who want to develop a feature-length fiction screenplay. The parallel Story Editing course is designed for aspiring story editors who work alongside directors in the writing process.
- FeatureLab – Deadline: 2 December 2025. Aimed at creative teams (director/screenwriter and producer, with possible co-screenwriter) working on a first or second feature film in an advanced stage of development, it focuses on artistic and creative aspects, as well as production and promotion strategies. The programme welcomes feature films of all genres, fiction or experimental, creative documentaries and animated films.
- ComedyLab – Deadline: 12 December 2025. A programme entirely dedicated to the comedy genre: directors/screenwriters with an idea for a comedy film and comedy writers/performers are invited to collaborate in the construction of the story and characters, with a focus on international potential.
SeriesLab & Story Editing – Deadline: 17 December 2025. Designed for teams developing a fictional TV series with strong market potential: the programme includes in-person and online workshops and, in parallel, a module for aspiring story editors specialising in series. It is an opportunity to enter the world of contemporary series.