16/07/2020 - Two fiction films and one documentary have been granted distribution support by the TorinoFilmLab

The three projects that have ended up as this year’s recipients of the TFL Audience Design Fund are directed by emerging filmmakers from Bangladesh, Cambodia and Italy/USA. The distribution support scheme run by the TorinoFilmLab consists of a grant of €45,000 and participation in a bespoke consultancy programme.

These three feature-length projects (comprising two fiction films and one documentary) question our relationships with the arts in general and with filmmaking in particular, as well as our role(s) in society – amplifying the voice of a new generation deeply interested in discussing climate change, migration and new scenarios for the future.

The Salt in Our Waters [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit is an audacious story about the effects of climate change and the clash between beliefs, set in a tiny fishing community on the Bangladeshi coast. The main character is Rudro, a 32-year-old sculptor from the city who moves to this remote place after the death of his father, and who is accused by the inhabitants of the village of being cursed. The movie, which is being produced by mypixelstory (Bangladesh) in co-production with Arsam International (France), is currently in post-production.

White Building [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] is the feature debut by Kavich Neang and is set in the titular place where the director spent his childhood: it is an historic and highly symbolic building in the heart of Phnom Penh, built in the 1960s and recently razed to the ground. The film explores memory and desires for the future, through the eyes of the young generation of Cambodians. White Building, which is currently in post-production, is being produced by Anti-Archive (Cambodia) in co-production with France’s Apsara Films.

The third title is El Father Plays Himself [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a doc that was presented at the 2020 Visions du Réel Festival (where it snagged a Special Jury Mention). In it, Mo Scarpelli follows a young director who returns to Venezuela intent on making a film based on the life of his father in the Amazon Rainforest. The film was produced by Ardimages UK (UK), Rake Films (Italy) and La Faena Films (Canada), in co-production with Channel 6 Media (Canada), FeverFilm (the Netherlands) and Tres Cinematografía (Venezuela).

“The selected projects represent three very different voices and talents, and each stood out and met our criteria,” commented the TFL Audience Design selection committee, made up of Valeria Richter, Savina Neirotti and Daniele Segre. “Each also presented a thorough and well-prepared audience design strategy proposal, which the consultancy can build on.”

With the help of TFL-trained audience design experts, the teams behind the selected titles will work on innovative distribution strategies in order to reach and engage their global audience during a six-day online consultancy programme, which will take place between 15 and 29 September this year.

(Translated from Italian)