TFL Next
Voices of TFL Next – testimonials from the first online film development workshop
May 28, 2020
Writing a film is something personal, and doing so in a group workshop setting with a tutor, requires listening, closeness and interpersonal understanding. This is what we had in mind when we created TFL Next. We wanted to provide an opportunity for film professionals from all around the world to come together, in these historical times, to test and share ideas, and to bring their project forward.
We have spoken to some of the filmmakers who took part in the first session (beginning of May). They will meet in a second session from May 28th to 29th.
Amy Aoyama, from Japan, participated together with Chris Rudz, with a project called ALL THE SONGS WE NEVER SANG. “It was incredible. The group sessions, which was held once in the beginning and once towards the end, were precious because we could see how other projects were evolving. The coffee breaks were joyful. I was simply happy to be connected to so many filmmakers around the world.”
Eliane Ferreira from Brazil brought the project OUR BONES. We asked her about her reasons for participating in TFL Next. “We had two motivations. We knew how important the impact of Torino in projects like ours was, and we wanted to take the project for its next phase of development.” She added: “These past few days were pretty intense. It was quite a challenge to be in a workshop online. It requires much more focus. Anyway, we have the possibility to meet not only amazing and talented people, but also their projects.”
Joining from the mountains of Italy, in Trentino, Martin Alan Tranquillini participated with the project THOSE NIGHTS IN THE WOODS. “I spent all the time thinking about my characters and the structure of the film. It was lovely to have a confrontation with the tutors, but also with the other participants who have been really friendly and kind! I love the people of this industry and it’s the proper environment I needed to rewrite some parts of my film. Rewriting is though!”
We also asked him about what it was like working online. “Online is a challenge. Notifications, e-mail, messages of any kind were my worst enemy: distractions. Despite of this, working online allowed me to stay in my comfort zone – my room – to develop the new aspects of my film.”
Just like Martin Alan, other participants pointed out the benefits of working from home. Payam Razi, from the Czech Republic participated with the project RED BEAR. “Obviously, not being able to travel to Torino this year and spend more time with organizers, tutors and other filmmakers is a big miss, but instead, as we are all sharing a similar experience due to the pandemic, there is simply more time to work. Additionally, as we all sense this as an extraordinary situation, we tend to grasp as much as possible from the online sessions and this has enriched the experience with intensity and fruitfulness.”
Amy Aoyama also found the online environment to be a comfortable solution: “as a participant from Japan, we saved a lot of money participating in the workshop from home. Because we're at an early development stage and there was no financial support from institutions, it would've been hard to travel all the way to Torino. Also, it's actually not too bad to be chatting with people virtually, as long as you have a cup of tea next to you.”
She ended by adding: “TFL Next was a breakthrough after a long development period. We gained confidence, and became more comfortable pitching the project. Let's see where this project will take us. And we'll always be proud of being a part of the first edition of TFL Next.”