Biennale College Cinema 2025-26: the 4 final projects selected

The selection has been completed for the four projects, with teams coming from China, Italy, Mexico, Spain and USA, that will move on to the production phase for the feature-length films of the 14^th edition (2025 – 2026) of the Biennale College – Cinema. After the screenwriting workshop that ended today, 5 December 2025, from Friday 9 January 2026  the online pre-production workshop begins and will end on 16 January.

The four teams, consisting of a director and a producer, are as follows:

• Demeter in Exile  – director Maria Giovanna Cicciari (Italy) | producer Raffaella Pontarelli (Italy) – debut film
• Gu Shi  – director Yinan Song (China) | producer Yueyi Xing (China) – debut film
• Moonfish – director Daniel Zvereff (USA) | producer Mireia Vilanova (Spain) – debut film
• Tijuana Todavía – director Gabriel Gutierrez Morales (Mexico) | producer Humberto Busto Marín (Mexico) – debut film

After the conclusion of the pre-production, the actual production of the four micro-budget feature-length films now begins, with a 200,000 euro grant each from La Biennale. The four films will be presented at the 83^rd Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale di Venezia 2026.

Biennale College Cinema, organized by La Biennale di Venezia, is supported by the Ministry of Culture – General Directorate Cinema with the additional support of Chanel. Biennale College Cinema relies on the academic collaboration of the Gotham Film & Media Institute and the TorinoFilmLab. The educational activities are made possible also by the support of the Creative Europe – Media programme. The Director is Alberto Barbera, Head of Programme is Savina Neirotti.

The work of the Biennale College Cinema Immersive, now in its 10^th edition (2025-2026), continues with the participation of the 12 selected projects in the international workshop which began in Venice on Tuesday December 2^nd, and will end Tuesday 9 December with a presentation at Ca’ Giustinian at 3.00 pm.

The 12 selected projects are: 

• Damned
  Dir: Nataliya Velykanova (France) | Prod: Raphaëlle Sleurs (France)
• Desert Palms
  Dir: Tristan Seniul (USA) | Prod: John Gerard (USA)
• Isabella Andreini - The Revolution on Stage
  Dir: Giulia Falciani (Italy) | Prod: Christoph Mohr (Germany)
• Mystis  
  Dir: Tatiana Collet Apraxine (France) | Prod: Tom Higham (UK)
• Oubliette   
  Dir: Wen Yee Hsieh (Taiwan) | Prod: Wu Hung (Taiwan)
• Pelle
  Dir: Stefano Conca Bonizzoni (Italy) | Prod: Filippo Ticozzi and Virginia Valesio (Italy)
• Primer Plano
  Dir: Giulia Jiménez Tani (Venezuela) | Prod: Stefania Chehade (Venezuela)
• Sāmoa Ocean Odyssey
  Dir: Yuki Kihara (Samoa) | Prod: Keiran McGee (Australia)
• Ten ghosts walk with you: Immersive memories of a war that never ends
  Dir: Alejandro Angel (Colombia) | Prod: Juan José Jaramillo (Colombia)
• The Mother Tree
  Dir: Vernante Pallotti (Italy) | Prod: Barbara Do Carmo Matsusaki (Brazil)
• Unstill Stillness
  Dir: Bang-Yao Liu (Taiwan) | Prod: Shih-An Chen (Taiwan)
• Visitor
  Dir: Spyridon Boukas (Greece) | Prod: Vicky Miha, Paul Typaldos (Greece)

Biennale College Cinema, organized by La Biennale di Venezia, is supported by the Ministry of Culture – General Directorate Cinema. The educational activities are made possible also by the support of the Creative Europe – Media programme. The Director is Alberto Barbera, Head of Programme is Savina Neirotti.

Started Tuesday December 2^nd one previous project from the Biennale College Cinema Immersive is presented at the 17th edition of Kyoto Historica International Film Festival (December 2^nd to 7^th 2025) at the Museum of Kyoto. Participation is organized by La Biennale di Venezia in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Osaka.

The Immersive project is  Re-Launching Luigi Broglio directed by Vincenzo Cavallo, winner of the BCC Immersive 9 grant and presented at the 82^nd Venice International Film Festival. The director of the project will also held a Masterclass to the participants of the Kyoto Filmmakers Lab.

On December 5^th an online Masterclass on the Biennale College Cinema programme will be held.