Fantastic Film Inspirational Lab in partnership with the Fantastic Film Forum of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival

GENRE RULES is meant as a hands-on guide to the inner workings of genre cinema.

Even though genre movies today are more popular and marketable than ever, producing them may not prove so easy.
The genre film industry is highly specialised, with key players, industry events and subgenres of its own, and constantly changing trends.
This lab is designed to provide an in-depth overview of this sector and will focus in particular on the best strategies to develop your project and effectively place it in the market.
The workshop targets independent producers and new talents with an international attitude, who wish to improve their skills and become acquainted with the genre film landscape.

SUBMISSION & DEADLINE

• producers from Europe, Canada and Latin America are eligible to apply;
• It is possible to apply to max. 3 different labs, but in case of selection it will be possible to attend one Inspirational Lab only;
• It is possible to apply to more than one WEMW section (Co-Production Forum, Works in Progress, EAVE Slate) and to the Inspirational Labs at the same time.

In order to submit your application and the required materials you need to create your own Eventival account and fill in the online form.

Deadline: 10 November 2025 23.59 CET

DATES & SELECTION

All Inspirational Labs activities will take place from 18 to 20 January 2026 in Trieste (up to 3-4 hours per day) and will be smoothly integrated with the WEMW Programme.
All applicants will be informed about the selection results in December 2025. The final selection will be primarily based on the applicant’s profile and motivation, and all selected participants will have the opportunity to join the full WEMW programme.

PARTICIPATION FEE & SCHOLARSHIPS

In case of selection, the participation fee is € 250 EUR, including WEMW & Trieste Film Festival accreditation, tuition fee and lunches. Travel costs and accommodation are not included.

* The participation fee will be waived for all Ukrainian selected participants.

** Thanks to the support of the following partners over 50 producers from these partner regions/countries will be able to access partial/full scholarships:
ABA – Film in Austria, ACAU – Agencia del Cine y el Audiovisual del Uruguay, Albanian National Center of Cinematography, Austrian Films, Catalan Films, Cine Tirol Film Commission, Cinéforom, CNC Moldovan National Film Center, Cyprus Cinema Office, Estonian Film Institute, FFA – German Federal Film Board, Film Center of Montenegro, Film Commission Vallée d’Aoste, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW GmbH, Fondazione Sardegna Film Commission, German Films, Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, Hessenfilm&Medien, ICAA – Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute, IDM Film & Music Commission Südtirol, kreativland.tirol, Lithuanian Film Center, MFG Baden-Württemberg, MEDIA Desk Suisse, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), National Film Centre of Latvia, North Macedonia Film Agency, Polish Film Institute, Projecto Paradiso, RE-ACT, Swiss Films, Switzerland Film Commission, Toscana Film Commission, Zürcher Filmstiftung.
Please contact us at inspiration@wemw.it for further info.