Launched in 2021, Cannes Marché du Film’s impACT programme focuses on diversity, inclusion, representation, sustainability and ethics at every stage of the filmmaking process. This year, the programme is expanding its scope with the impACT Lab, which will bring together a small group of producers hand-picked by the Marché du Film’s partner institutions for a series of workshops focusing on these themes in order to help the next generation of industry professionals make more impactful films. The impACT Lab was designed specifically to help these producers develop essential skills needed for the ideal positioning of their projects in the global marketplace. 

Each workshop will focus on a different theme, such as the evolution of funding in the current climate, the transition to sustainable production practices, and inclusion in every stage of production from script to screen and beyond, for example: “Creativity & Funding strategies,” “The Value of Impact,” “Sustainable production practices & certification” and “Tricks & Tips for Surviving Cannes and other events.” The sessions will provide insider tips on how to best approach potential partners and create innovative funding opportunities to give these impactful projects greater scope on an international scale.

The main topics explored will be sustainable market strategies, and the definition of impactful content in the film industry and how it is evolving as time goes by. The goal of the workshops is to help emerging producers master the skills needed to get their impactful projects off the ground and better position co-production projects, all to produce higher quality films and build up a network of sustainable content producers across the globe. The workshops initially will be held virtually before the festival and they will carry on in person in Cannes.

Regarding the impACT Lab leaders, those are Alessandro Gropplero, head of international relations of the FVG Audiovisual Fund and head of When East Meets West (WEMW); Tamara Tatishvili, head of MEDICI – The Film Funding Journey and strategy lead for European Women’s Audiovisual (EWA) network; Ludovica Chiarini, sustainability manager and project manager at EcoMuvi; Danielle Turkov Wilson, founder and executive director of Think-Film Impact Production; Ada Solomon, producer, executive president of EWA Network, deputy chairwoman of EFA, EAVE coordinator and ACE Network board member.

Here are the partner institutions and their selected producers for 2022 impACT Lab:

Norwegian Film Institute
Renée Hansen Mlodyszewski (True Content Entertainment)
Elisa Fernanda Pirir (Mer Film)
Khalid Maimouni (The End - Álgu Film)

German Films Service + Marketing GmbH
Alisa Berger (FORTIS FEM FILM)
Saralisa Volm (POISON GmbH)

Telefilm Canada
Nyla Innuksuk (Mixtape VR Inc.)
Tamar Bird (Sunflower Studios)

British Film Institute
Chi Thai (Last Conker Limited)
Veronica McKenzie (Reel Brit Productions)