The Film Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum 2025 will present to the international film industry 16 projects in development,12 of which as part of the Film Co-Production Market section, along with 4 additional titles featured in the Wanna Taste IT strand. Among the selected titles, 14 are first or sophomore pictures, and 7 are directed by women, confirming MIA’s interest in emerging talent and attention to inclusion. The 2025 selection’s diversity is also reflected in the wide geographical spread: the projects come from 14 different countries, among which Palestine and Ukraine. Such presence reflects MIA’s commitment to giving visibility and support to filmmakers and professionals working in regions marked by conflict, reaffirming its belief in a cinema that remains alive and urgent – a cinema that bears witness to its own time and gives voice to what is happening in the world.
The projects were evaluated and chosen by an international selection committee composed of: Jakob Abrahamsson, CEO, NonStop Entertainment (Sweden), Dyveke Bjørkly Graver, Partner & Producer, Eye Eye Pictures (Norway), Jacques-Henri Bronckart, Producer, Versus Production (Belgium), Yana Georgieva, Head of Sales, Bankside Films (UK), Alexandra Lebret, Partner, AXIO Capital (France), Valeska Neu, International Sales, Films Boutique (Germany), Joseph Rouschop, Producer, Tarantula (Belgium), Yuji Sadai, Founder & CEO of Bitters End and Producer (Japan), Andrea Scarso, Partner and Investment Director, IPR.VC (Finland), Stefan Schmitz, CEO, Avalon (Spain), Rodrigo Teixeira, Founder & Producer, RT Features (Brazil), Rob Williams, Content Strategy & Sales Executive (USA).
With tones of existential drama, COLD SUN/DIELL I FTOHTË by Gentian Koçi (Albania, produced by Artalb Film Productions) revolves around the story of a man who has just been released from prison following a 20-year sentence for the murder of his wife. In BEGINNERS/PRADŽIOS (Lithuania, produced by Smart Casual), Birutė Kapustinskaite follows three generations of women whose seaside holiday on Lithuania’s border with Russia is unsettled by the search for a missing boy. As personal tensions collide with echoes of past trauma, the film blends intimate drama with a subtle political edge. From prominent Egyptian outfit Film Clinic comes DRAFT ZERO (Egypt) by Ahmed El Zoghby: a struggling filmmaker in Cairo begins documenting a refugee family’s story to save his crumbling life. But when reality disrupts his narrative, he manipulates events, blurring ethics in pursuit of success. FUGUE (Ireland, produced by Fantastic Films), by multi-award winning director and writer Ivan Kavanagh, is a haunting tale of possession, sacrifice, and eternal return – where the sins of the dead echo through every note of Bach’s Art of Fugue. With his coming-of-age debut feature I HAVE TO FUCK BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS (Italy/Philippines, produced by Volos Films Italia and Citrullo International), Italian-Filipino director Andrea Benjamin Manenti draws on his own family history to explore intimacy, memory, and resilience between two worlds. From leading production and distribution company Lucky Red comes another directorial debut, ROMA SHOCKING (Italy) by Angela Norelli: Camilla and Alessia, two 18-year-olds from Rome, seem to have nothing in common—until an act of male violence binds their fates, revealing a connection closer than they ever imagined. Another female first-time director, Tatiana Delaunay, is behind SUMMER OF JESUS (Norway, produced by Needle in the Haystack and Amarcord), an environmental tale pervaded with comedy and deeply rooted in generational trauma: a guilt-ridden activist returns to her Italian roots and confronts love, grief, and cultural clashes. As her rigid ideals unravel, she’s forced to surrender control to rediscover herself. SWEAT/TER by Elif Refiğ (Turkey, produced by Muhtelif Yapım and Vigo Film) is a pre-digital era drama exploring memory, desire, and social pressure within patriarchal systems. In a coastal town, an 18-year-old maid becomes the object of obsession and desire, sparking tensions that culminate in a brutal act of violence. Palestinian writer and director Razan Madhoon presents THE GOOD SPIRIT/مالك (Palestine/UK, produced by Meraki Films): an independent young woman estranged from her family rescues an injured stray dog despite local beliefs that dogs drive away good spirits. This family drama rooted in real events in the Gaza Strip explores prejudice, stereotypes, freedom, and the delicate balance between life and death. THE FOG CATCHER/EL ATRAPANIEBLAS by Daniel Rehder (Peru, produced by Los Chicxs Altos and Rehder Films) comes from the true story of a Peruvian inventor who turned personal tragedy into hope for his community by creating a revolutionary device that harvests water from the sky. The film highlights environmental innovation, sustainability, and the power of resilience. THE OLD GUN/СТАРА РУШНИЦЯ by Egor Olesov (Ukraine, produced by Forecast Pictures and Heroes Creative Studio) is inspired by the French classic Le Vieux Fusil (starring Romy Schneider and Philippe Noiret). Following the story of surgeon Oleh, who loses his wife and daughter during the occupation of his village, the film reimagines the original story through a contemporary Ukrainian lens, blending personal tragedy with national resilience. In THREE TIMES JENNY (France/Germany, produced by Tripode Productions and Weydemann Bros), drawing from her own experiences as a former model, the screenwriter, director and actress Milena Doenst follows the journey of Jenny, a young model, from a summer job in Luxembourg to Paris Fashion Week and finally to China, where she discovers a form of inner freedom.
In addition to the above selection, the Film Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum once again presents WANNA TASTE IT?, a section dedicated exclusively to Italian film projects in development. Conceived as a launch pad and growth platform for Italian industry and talent, this section aims to promote networking and offer selected producers and directors business opportunities with international partners and training and high-level training and updates through targeted sessions with industry experts, institutional representatives and funding bodies.
Four projects have been selected this year: THE BLUE LINE/LA RIGA BLU by Tomaso Mannoni (Italy, produced by Ombre Rosse and Lama Film), THE BOUNDARY/IL CONFINE by Federica Cellini (Italy, produced by Quoomoon and IBC Movie), THE COLOUR OF DOUBT/IL COLORE DEL DUBBIO by Ivan Gergolet (Italy/Slovenia, produced by Staragara I.T.), VIA DI BRAVETTA, 415 by Mounir Derbal (Italy, produced by Dorje Film).
FILM CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & PITCHING FORUM | 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTION
BEGINNERS by Birutė Kapustinskaite (Lithuania)
Produced by Rūta Petronytė, Justinas Pocius (Smart Casual)
COLD SUN by Gentian Koçi (Albania)
Produced by Blerina Hankollari, Gentian Koçi (Artalb Film Productions)
DRAFT ZERO by Ahmed El Zoghby (Egypt)
Produced by Mohamed Hefzy (Film Clinic)
FUGUE by Ivan Kavanagh (Ireland)
Produced by Brendan McCarthy (Fantastic Films)
I HAVE TO FUCK BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS by Andrea Benjamin Manenti (Italy, Philippines)
Produced by Stefano Centini (Volos Films Italia), Carlo Hintermann (Citrullo International)
ROMA SHOCKING by Angela Norelli (Italy)
Produced by Andrea Occhipinti, Stefano Massenzi, Serena Sostegni (Lucky Red)
SUMMER OF JESUS by Tatiana Delaunay (Norway)
Produced by Renée Mlodyszewski (Needle in the Haystack), Thomas Robsahm (Amarcord)
SWEAT by Elif Refiğ (Turkey)
Produced by Alara Hamamcıoğlu (Muhtelif Yapım, Vigo Film)
THE GOOD SPIRIT by Razan Madhoon (Palestine, UK)
Produced by Marie-Elena Dyche (Meraki Films)
THE FOG CATCHER by Daniel Rehder (Peru)
Produced by Javier Salvador (Los Chicxs Altos), Daniel Rehder (Rehder Films)
THE OLD GUN by Egor Olesov (Ukraine)
Produced by Jean-Charles Lévy (Forecast Pictures), Olha Maksiuk (Heroes Creative Studio)
THREE TIMES JENNY by Milena Doenst (France, Germany)
Produced by Guillaume Dreyfus, Delphine Schmit (Tripode Productions), Jonas Weydemann (Weydemann Bros)
WANNA TASTE IT?
THE BLUE LINE by Tomaso Mannoni (Italy)
Produced by Luca Cabriolu, Andrea Di Blasio (Ombre Rosse Film Production), Cesare Apolito (Lama Film)
THE BOUNDARY by Federica Cellini (Italy)
Produced by Luca Scarabelli, Andrea Josè Di Pasquale (Qoomoon), Beppe Caschetto (IBC Movie)
THE COLOUR OF DOUBT by Ivan Gergolet (Italy, Slovenia)
Produced by Miha Černec, David Cej (Staragara I.T.)
VIA DI BRAVETTA, 415 by Mounir Derbal (Italy)
Produced by Flaminio Zadra (Dorje Film)
