# TorinoFilmLab

TorinoFilmLab (TFL) is a Turin-based laboratory that primarily supports persons working on their first and second fiction feature films. Its four main fields of involvement are training, development, funding and distribution.
TorinoFilmLab runs several projects in each of these fields every year. They end at the TFL Meeting Event in November during the Torino Film Festival, when participants of the different programmes present their work to a selected group of producers, sales agents, distributors and other professionals in independent filmmaking.

## History

This lab was created in 2008 with the aim of complementing Torino Film Festival with a laboratory dedicated to emerging filmmakers.
TFL offers various residential workshops and on-line sessions to its participants. The programmes run parallel during the year and reach their conclusion in November at the TFL Meeting Event during the Torino Film Festival. At this occasion, TFL also hand over various awards in order to financially support the production and distribution of the selected films.
TFL is financed by Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali, Regione Piemonte and Città di Torino, and is promoted by the main film institutions established in Turin and Piedmont – Museo Nazionale del Cinema and Film Commission Torino Piemonte. It is also partially funded by the European Union programme Creative Europe and by partners from several countries. In 2015, about 57% of the funding came from outside Italy.

## Courses

TFL offers courses in various areas in filmmaking, with a particular emphasis on scriptwriting (both original and adaptation, as well as story editing), pre-production and distribution. About 40 projects are selected each year.

## The supported films

Since its inception in 2008 more than 50 films have had TFL support. Seven films supported by TFL were selected at Cannes Film Festival 2016, and 5 of them received major awards.

### Selection of Supported Films

| Year | Film | Director | Nationality | Festivals & Awards |
| 2010 | AGUA FRÍA DE MAR | Paz Fábrega | Costa Rica | TG VPRO Tiger Awards Competition, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2010, Tiger Award |
| 2010 | LE QUATTRO VOLTE | Michelangelo Frammartino | Italy | Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes 2010, Label Europa Cinemas Award |
| 2012 | CHILDREN OF SARAJEVO | Aida Begić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2012, Special Distinction of the Jury |
| 2012 | WADJDA | Haifaa al-Mansour | Saudi Arabia | Orizzonti, Venice Film Festival 2012 |
| 2013 | SALVO | Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza | Italy | Critics’ Week, Cannes 2013, Nespresso Grand Prize and France 4 Visionary Award |
| 2013 | THE LUNCHBOX | Ritesh Batra | India | Critics’ Week, Cannes 2013, Grand Rail d’Or |
| 2014 | Men Who Save the World | Liew Seng Tat | Malaysia | Cineasti del Presente, Locarno Film Festival 2014 |
| 2014 | LOS HONGOS | Oscar Ruiz Navia | Colombia | Cineasti del Presente, Locarno Film Festival 2014 |
| 2015 | ADAMA | Simon Rouby | France | Competition, Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2015; Best European Animated Feature nominee at the European Film Awards 2015 |
| 2015 | EVA DOESN’T SLEEP | Pablo Agüero | Argentina | Wavelengths, Toronto International Film Festival 2015; Official Section, San Sebastián 2015 |
| 2015 | EVA NOVÁ | Marko Škop | Slovakia | Discovery, Toronto International Film Festival 2015, FIPRESCI Prize |
| 2015 | MOUNTAIN | Yaelle Kayam | Israel | Orizzonti, Venice Film Festival 2015; Discovery, Toronto International Film Festival 2015 |
| 2016 | AGNUS DEI | Anne Fontaine - Participants: scriptwriters Sabrina Karine, Alice Vial | France | Premieres, Sundance Film Festival 2016 |
| 2016 | DOGS | Bogdan Mirica | Romania | Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2016, FIPRESCI Prize |
| 2016 | THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MÄKI | Juho Kuosmanen | Finland | Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2016, Prize of Un Certain Regard |
| 2016 | MIMOSAS | Oliver Laxe | France Spain | Critics’ Week, Cannes 2016, Nespresso Grand Prize |
| 2016 | RAW | Julia Ducournau | France | Critics’ Week, Cannes 2016, FIPRESCI Prize |
| 2016 | DIAMOND ISLAND | Davy Chou | France Cambodia | Critics’ Week, Cannes 2016, SACD Prize |
| 2016 | A Place to Fight For | Romain Cogitore | France | 2023 Cabourg Film Festival |

## Alumni

From 2008 to 2015, TFL has trained 480 participants from 70 countries.

### Notable alumni

* Jonas Carpignano
* Aida Begić
* Álvaro Brechner
* Antonio Piazza
* Fabio Grassadonia
* György Pálfi
* Haifaa al-Mansour
* Jan-Ole Gerster
* Juho Kuosmanen
* Julia Ducournau
* László Nemes
* Michelangelo Frammartino
* Oliver Laxe
* Ritesh Batra