Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen 2026 lineup

Palingenesion – directed by Yelizaveta Smith, Simon Mozgovyi & Alina Gorlova

Tatino Films is proud to unveil the selection of the third edition of Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen, reaffirming the dynamic collaboration between the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France and the German region of Hessen. Dedicated to nurturing emerging filmmakers and fostering meaningful international co-productions, the Lab returns in 2026 with 9 ambitious feature film projects receiving calibrated support in development and editing.

Led by Myriam Sassine under the supervision of Matthieu Darras, the Lab has grown into a working space defined by its tailormade approach, where films are actively reworked, tested, and redefined at each stage: “What connects this year’s projects is a strong sense of authorship paired with an openness to collaboration. Across development and editing, we are seeing filmmakers take risks with form while engaging deeply with the realities around them. The Lab becomes a space where these visions are not only refined, but also put into conversation across regions, cultures, practices, and generations.”

Before presenting this year’s selection, the Lab highlights the continued trajectory of its alumni. After La Couleuvre Noire by Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux in 2025, La Détention by Guillaume Massart developed through the Lab is premiering this year in ACID at Cannes Film Festival. In a meaningful return, Massart is returning to the Lab as a producer with a new project in development, a testament to the experience he had as a participant, this time to guide another filmmaker through it.

Program & structure

The 2026 edition brings together 9 projects. The 5 projects of the Development Lab will benefit from intensive support in writing, dramaturgy, production strategy, and market  positioning. While the 4 projects of First Cut Lab will benefit from advanced editorial guidance focusing on narrative clarity, rhythm, and audience engagement

Marking a major step forward, the Lab broadens its international reach this year through two new collaborations: the Slovenia Next Wave Genre Lab, bringing two standout Slovenian genre films, and a VIPO partnership welcoming the new feature by Chie Hayakawa, whose Renoir premiered in Competition at Cannes 2025.

Timeline

The selected projects will be accompanied over a 6-month period:

• July 6–10, 2026 – First residential workshop at Villa Valmont (Lormont, France)

• September 14–18, 2026 – Second residential workshop in Hessen, Germany

• December 3–4, 2026 – Industry Days at the Poitiers Film Festival

Selection highlights

The 2026 edition of Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen reflects a rich balance between fiction and documentary, and a strong commitment to gender parity and international collaboration. It confirms the Lab’s positioning as a space where arthouse cinema intersects with bold narrative forms, spanning intimate stories, politically engaged documentaries, and genre-driven projects.

Several filmmakers in this year’s line-up arrive with significant festival track records:

Mona Convert, whose A Fireland was presented in ACID at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, returns with Sowing, a feature documentary produced by Guillaume Massart. Yelizaveta Smith, Simon Mozgovyi & Alina Gorlova, whose Militantropos premiered at the Quinzaine des Cinéastes in 2025, present Palingenesion, continuing their distinctive collaborative exploration of history and identity. Another standout project in this year’s selection is Keep Her Quiet, directed by Franz Böhm and Suli Kurban. The film is an international co-production (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden) featuring a high-profile cast including Zar Amir and Jonathan Pryce. 

On the Slovenia Next Wave Genre Lab end, Urška Djukić Lecamus, whose Little Trouble Girls screened at the Berlinale, is participating with her second feature, Forbidden Fruit, a feminist period thriller.  

The 2026 selection stands out for its diversity of geographies and narratives, spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, with stories rooted in Myanmar, Iran, Ukraine, Germany, France, Slovenia and Japan alongside strong European co-production frameworks. It also further marks the participation of seasoned regional producers, with companies such as Poetik Film, Massala, Les Valseurs, and Fourmat Film participating for the first time highlighting the growing engagement of regional ecosystems in both Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Hessen.

2026 LINE-UP

Development Lab

• Sowing – Feature Documentary (France) written & directed by Mona Convert Produced by Guillaume Massart (Tryptique Films)

• The Family – Drama (France, Ukraine, Iran) written & directed by Hanna Jalali Co-written by Moeinoddin Jalali Produced by Christophe Lafont (Poetik Film)

• Arakan Monsoon – Feature Documentary (Myanmar, France) written & directed by Maung Sun Produced by Charlotte Guénin (Massala)

• Neowoman – Drama (Germany) written & directed by Joey Arand Produced by Alma Weber & Paula Berger (Animauz)

• What Is To Be Done – Drama (Germany) written & directed by Niklas Bauer Produced by Marie Marxmeier & Nicolas Kronauer (Fourmat Film)

First Cut Lab

• La grande vacance – Feature Documentary (France) written, directed & edited by Lého Galibert-Lainé Produced by Eliott Baillon (Darjeeling)

• Palingenesion – Feature Documentary (France, Ukraine, Austria) directed by Yelizaveta Smith, Simon Mozgovyi & Alina Gorlova Edited by Marine De Contes. Produced by Nabil Bellahsene (Les Valseurs)

• Deserted – Feature Documentary (Germany) written & directed by Mario Pfeifer-Mutumba Edited by Raya Yamisha. Produced by Julia Peters (jippie film)

• Keep Her Quiet – Thriller (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden) written & directed by Franz Böhm & Suli Kurban Edited by Hansjörg Weißbrich Produced by Johannes Schubert (Schubert Film)

International Collaborations

Slovenia Next Wave Genre Lab

• Forbidden Fruit – Thriller written & directed by Urška Djukić Lecamus Produced by Luka Peterca (OINK)

• We Are Still Screaming – Road Movie written & directed by August Adrian Braatz Produced by Ida Weiss (Bela Film)

VIPO Collaboration

• Myopia – Drama (Japan) written & directed by Chie Hayakawa 

  Produced by Eiko Mizuno Gray

Tutors & experts

The projects will be mentored by:

- Myriam Sassine, Producer (Diaries from Lebanon, Berlinale 2024; Costa Brava, Lebanon, Venice 2021; 1982, TIFF 2019), Co-Founder of Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival and Program Curator of AFLAMUNA Connection, a co-production platform for the Arab world. 

- Philippe Barrière, Scriptwriter (On Ira, Festival de l’Alpe d’Huez 2025 and Made in Bangladesh, Toronto 2019), and script consultant for institutions like Torino Film Lab, Jump In Poitiers and Semaine de la Critique’s Next Step workshop.

- Fred Burle, Partner at One Two Films, with a number of high-profile projects under his internal leadership, such as Peter Hujar’s Day by Ira Sachs (Sundance, Berlinale 2025); Cannes Winner and 4x Oscar nominated The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonca Filho; Calle Malaga by Maryam Touzani (Audience Award Winner at Venice 2025) and The Station by Sara Ishaq (Cannes Critic’s Week 2026).

- Franziska Müller, Script consultant and development mentor for Netflix, Eurimages and several film schools and academies such as Masterschool Drehbuch, MA Serial Storytelling/ifs international filmschool Cologne or Serial Eyes/dffb.

- Alexis Hofmann, Producer and former Head of Acquisitions at BAC Films, now developing features at Special Touch Studios, with a strong track record in international sales and project development across acclaimed auteur cinema.

Partners

Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen is financially supported by Hessen Film & Medien and Agency Alca Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The lab has also partnered up with Villa Valmont in Lormont and the Poitiers Film Festival.

ALCA, the cultural agency for publishing and cinema in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, supports creation and production of fiction, animation and documentary films through funding, artists-in-residence program, partnerships with Labs and international markets and a regional film commission.

Hessen Film & Medien is the first point of contact for film funding in Hesse, Germany, and strengthens the regional film and media industry. It supports film and media professionals and those who want to shoot and produce in Hesse while planning and shooting their projects.