The ‘new generation’ of When East Meets West kicks off in less than two weeks, on January 24, with a unique hybrid format that for the first time will combine digital connections and real emotions.

After revealing the Co-Production Forum project selection, WEMW is happy to finally unveil the complete line-up of the four sections targeting films in post-production stage: Last Stop Trieste, This is IT, First Cut+ and First Cut Lab Trieste.

Now in its eight edition, Last Stop Trieste, the fine cut section run together with the Trieste Film Festival, will present 6 creative documentaries that were previously selected in one of the partner platforms: Ex Oriente Film, Docu Rough Cut Boutique, Balkan Discoveries, Baltic Sea Docs, ZagrebDox Pro. All films will be in the running for the HBO Europe Award (cash prize of 1.000 EUR), Flow Digital Cinema Award, and the First Hand Fund Distribution Award (“1.000 bucks for the project that promises to make its audience laugh, cry, fall in love and learn something”). 

For the fifth edition, When East Meets West and Trieste Film Festival will renew the partnership with Milano Film Network for the section exclusively dedicated to feature films produced or co-produced by Italian producers. For the first time the final line-up will also feature two titles coming from the WEMW 2022 spotlight territories. This is IT will present in total 10 films - 7 fiction and 3 documentaries - ready for festival premiere/international distribution, all of them competing for the prestigious Laser Film Award.

For the third consecutive year, WEMW is proud to host the international works in progress section First Cut+ and to introduce to more than 80 sales and festival programmers registered to the market, 8 promising titles from Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine.

Alongside the works in progress sections dedicated to films seeking international distribution and festival premiere, WEMW will co-organize the eighth edition of First Cut Lab Trieste, a consultancy programme designed for 3 feature films in editing phase from the focus countries of WEMW. The selected teams will be offered a creative framework to help them open up new perspectives and explore the full artistic potential of their films.

Last but not least, the ‘new generation’ of WEMW is also happy to announce the 5 companies selected for the first edition of the Slate Market & EAVE Consultancies programme, and the 44 participants from 27 different countries  - selected out of 112 applications -  who will be part of the 5 brand-new WEMW Inspirational Labs run in collaboration with CEE Animation Workshop, ESoDoc, Eurovod and MIDPOINT Institute, and meant to stimulate producers to differentiate their business models, discover new formats and explore new markets.

WEMW is moreover proud to highlight the massive presence of projects and professionals coming from the East & West 2022 country focus: Russia & Canada, Ireland, UK, USA. 

Over and above the professionals, projects and works in progress selected in the different sections of the WEMW programme, the successful partnership with ROSKINO, British Film Institute, Telefilm Canada, SODEC, CMPA, Ontario Creates and Screen Ireland, will allow a delegation from each country to join physically and virtually the WEMW Universe.

All documentaries and fiction feature films that will be presented at Last Stop Trieste, This is IT, First Cut+, First Cut Lab Trieste and the companies participating in the Slate Market are:

LAST STOP TRIESTE

ATONAL GLOW
director: Alexander Koridze
producer: Alexander Koridze
country: Georgia

BOTTLEMEN
director: Nemanja Vojinović
producers: Marija Stojnić, Nemanja Vojinović
countries: Serbia, Slovenia

DIARY OF A BRIDE OF CHRIST
director: Marta Smerechynska
producer: Natalia Libet
country: Ukraine

FRAGILE MEMORY 
director: Igor Ivanko
producers: Igor Ivanko, Maria Ponomarova, Alexandra Bratyshchenko
countries: Ukraine, Slovakia

THE BODY
director: Petra Seliškar
producers: Tamara Babun, Petra Seliškar
countries: Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, France

TOO CLOSE
director: Botond Pusok
producer: Irina Malcea
country: Romania

This is ITA STEADY JOB
directors: Gianluca Matarrese, Mattia Colombo
producer: Giovanni Donfrancesco
countries: Italy, France

AFTER THE BRIDGE
directors: Davide Rizzo, Marzia Toscano
producers: Adam Selo, Olga Torrico, Christie Molia
countries: Italy, France

AN INVISIBLE ENEMY
directors: Riccardo Campagna, Federico Savonitto
producer: Federico Savonitto
country: Italy

BIRTH YEAR
director: Mikhail Mestetskiy
producers: Sergey Kornikhin, Simon Zakruzhniy
country: Russia

FALLING
director: Samuel Perriard
producers: Martin Rattini, Sarah Born
countries: Svizzera, Italy

IT'S RAINING             
director: Mino Capuano
producers: Girolamo Capuano, Andrea Rosasco
country: Italy

MARGINI
director: Niccolò Falsetti
producers: Alessandro Amato, Luigi Chimienti, Manetti bros 
country: Italy

THE MAN WITHOUT GUILT
director: Ivan Gergolet
producers: Miha Černec, Igor Prinčić, Boris T. Matić
countries: Slovenia, Italia, Croatia 

THE STORE
director: Amy-Ro Sköld
producers: Francesca Portalupi, Lovisa Charlier
countries: Sweden, Italy

WHITE ROAD
director: Ella Menzheeva
producers: Elena Glikman, Victoria Lupik
countries: Russia

FIRST CUT+A LOVE STORY
director: Mathieu Volpe
producer: Arnaud Dufeys
company: Replica Films
country: Belgium

CAMPER
directors: Łukasz Suchocki & Maciej Dydyński
producers: Łukasz Suchocki & Maciej Dydyński
company: Splotfilm
country: Poland

FUCKING BORNHOLM
director: Anna Kazejak 
producer: Marta Lewandowska
company: Friends With Benefits Studio
country: Poland

LUCKY GIRL
director: Marysia Nikitiuk
producers : Yanina Sokolova and Julia Sinkevych
company : Yanina Sokolova Production
country : Ukraine

MAMMALIA
director: Sebastian Mihăilescu
producers: Diana Păroiu & Ada Solomon
company: microFILM
country: Romania
co-producers: Ewa Puszczyńska (Extreme Emotions, Poland), Nina Frese (Pandora Film, Germany)

MEN OF DEEDS
director: Paul Negoescu
producer: Anamaria Antoci
company: Tangaj Production
country: Romania

SUMMER TO COME
director: György Mór Kárpáti
producer: Viktória Petrányi
company: Proton Cinema
country: Hungary
co-producer: Café Film (Hungary)

WHITE PLASTIC SKY
directors: Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó
producers: József Fülöp and Orsolya Sipos
company: SALTO Films
country: Hungary
producer: Juraj  Krasnohorsky
company: Artichoke
country: Slovakia
co-producer: Viktória Petrányi (Proton Cinema)

SLATE MARKETA

chtung Panda!
producer: Jamila Wenske
country: Germany

Éclipse Film
producer: Julianna Ugrin
country: Hungary

Just a moment
producer: Dagne Vildziunaite
country: Lithuania

Kinocompany
producer: Ari Matikainen
country: Finland

Tico Film Company
producer: Sarah Pennacchi
country: Italy

FIRST CUT LAB TRIESTE

BIRTH YEAR
director: Mikhail Mestetskiy
producers: Sergey Kornikhin, Simon Zakruzhniy
country: Russia 

INVASIONS 
director: Sophie Jarvis
producer: Sara Blake 
Co-producers: Magali Gillon-Krizaj (Reign Films, Canada), Tyler Hagan (Experimental Forest Films, Canada), Michela Pini & Olga Lamontanara (Cinédokké, Switzerland)
countries of production: Canada, Switzerland

WHITE ROAD
director: Ella Menzheeva
producers: Elena Glikman, Victoria Lupik
countries: Russia