MASO #1 MASO #1, the first edition of the programme, will give up to eight creative teams, sixteen participants in total, the opportunity to create their shorts under the supervision and guidance of international experts. Who is MASO for? Ambitious and aspiring filmmakers as well as seasoned professionals can benefit from the programme. Its aim is to promote the voices and ideas of creative people and, by doing so, create a more open, colourful, and diverse film and TV landscape. MASO is a safe space to create films and, above all, aims to reach talented people from underrepresented social groups and minorities. An Advisory Board comprising international short films experts will choose who makes the final cut. How does MASO work? During the first stage, creative duos – an author or director and producer – will send in their short film project. In the next stage, the selected teams will work on their projects and bring them to life, from development through production to distribution. The process will be overseen by internationally renowned experts during two workshops and various mentoring sessions. The first workshop will take place in November/December 2024 in FilmCamp Norway in Øverbygd, Norway; the second workshop will take place in April 2025 during the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen in South Tyrol, Italy. The teams will also be supported when it comes to developing their financing plan as well as distribution and promotional strategy. They will receive professional advice across all phases of their project and can exchange ideas and network with other participating teams. Once the shorts have been shot, the teams are supported when distributing their projects. The programme is implemented in cooperation with different international partners, which guarantee a grant to participate in MASO #1 if a project from their respective region is selected. The regions and/or countries which have set up a bursary are: Italy (one project from the Autonomous Provinces of South Tyrol and the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia), Austria (a project from every Austrian federal region is eligible), France (a project from the Centre-Val de Loire region), Germany (a project from Hessen), Norway (a project from the Northern Norway Counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark is eligible). The IDM Film Commission Südtirol will also set up a grant for two international projects (applications can be sent from all over the world). Programme timeline and structure Applications: 16 April – 30 June 2024 Project selection: 1 July – 31 July 2024 Publication of selected projects: beginning of August 2024 Workshop #1 in Øverbygd, Norway at the FilmCamp Norway: 26 November – 3 December 2024 Online mentoring sessions with each project: December 2024 – end of March 2025 Workshop #2 in Bolzano/Bozen, Italy, during the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen 2025: April 2025 Shorts production: from April 2025 presentation of the completed shorts during the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen and other international festivals To the applicvation form. Here you can find the application guidelines and the Open Call for Projects. TUTORS Enrico Vannucci Enrico Vannucci is a member of the selection committee of Pardi di Domani at the Locarno Film Festival and of the selection committee of LIM – Less Is More, and the artistic head of the programme of MASO. He has worked in film festivals and markets since 2010, in particular collaborating with the Venice Film Festival and TSFM, which he co-founded in 2016. He also co-founded Varicoloured, a holistic short film agency, in 2018, Talking Shorts, an online film magazine dedicated to short films, in 2020 and Talents Generator Factory, a company dedicated to the development of new audiovisuals by emerging and established professionals, in 2022. In 2021, he became a member of the European Film Academy. Iulia Rugină Iulia Rugină is a Bucharest based director and screenwriter. She has a BA and a MA degree in film and television directing at Bucharest’s National University of Theatre and Film (UNATC). In 2020 she completed a PhD on low budget cinema at the same university. She has written and directed twelve shorts and three feature films, among which Stuck on Christmas (2010), Love Building (2013), Dying from a Wound of Love (2014), Breaking News (2016). In 2020 she directed six of the eight episodes of the HBO produced series Ruxx. She is currently a script consultant, after having taught Screenwriting for 10 years at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. Our thanks to the official partners of MASO #1 for their support and cooperation: Austrian Economic Chambers – Film and Music Austria (FAMA); Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol; Bolzano Film Festival Bozen (BFFB); Ciclic Centre-Val de Loire; Federal Ministry Republic of Austria for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES); FilmCamp Norway; Fondo per l’Audiovisivo del Friuli Venezia Giulia; Free University of Bozen-Bolzano; Gewächshaus – Verein zur Förderung von Diversität im Film; Hessen Film & Medien GmbH; IDM Film Commission Südtirol; Italian Short Film Center; Nordnorsk Filmsenter – North Norwegian Film Centre; ZeLIG – School for Documentary, Television and New Media Bozen/Bolzano MASO #1 is a project conceived by the BFFB – Bolzano Film Festival Bozen and the IDM Film Commission Südtirol. More info!