June 20–25, 2018, HOME Manchester
July – October: online sessions
November 14–18, 2018, Lo schermo dell’arte, Florence
Directed by Leonardo Bigazzi and Sarah Perks
Lo schermo dell’arte and HOME present the fourth edition of Feature Expanded, a European training program for artists wishing to make their first feature film.
Feature Expanded – European Art Film Strategies is a training program for artists aiming to create their first feature-length film, conceived by Lo schermo dell’arte in collaboration with HOME Manchester, with the support of Creative Europe/MEDIA.
FEATURE EXPANDED 2018 AWARDS
The Feature Expanded 2018 jury, composed of Andrea Lissoni, Hila Peleg, and Anna Lena Vaney, awarded four prizes:
“We decided to recognize two feature film projects for their relevance and stimulating artistic approach. Both focus on communities that may appear isolated, but are in fact actively part of our society. Moreover, these communities represent the potential for a transformative and perhaps more rewarding life of exchange and creativity.”
Feature Expanded Distribution Award and ottod’Ame Film Award to Floris Schoenfeld for the film project The Miraculous Breakdown of PUK.
Feature Expanded Development Award and
SUB-TI Award
to Sophio Medoidze for the project Let Us Flow.
Feature Expanded is a training program designed to support visual artists who wish to make their first feature film.
The project, conceived by Lo schermo dell’arte Film Festival and HOME, is directed by Leonardo Bigazzi and Sarah Perks.
Feature Expanded offers a unique and tailored range of activities in the field of film production, responding to the evolving needs of artists working with moving images. This new generation of artists enriches the traditional audiovisual sector, attracting new audiences, partners, and institutions through a different approach to feature film production.
The six-month program is structured around two residency periods in Manchester and Florence, and includes a series of courses, workshops, screenings, online mentoring, and project pitching sessions specifically designed for visual artists developing their first feature film.
Participants will gain new skills and a solid foundation of both practical and theoretical knowledge, with a particular focus on the development and writing of their project with a view to future film distribution.
Throughout the different phases of the program, participants will work on developing their individual projects and will later benefit from online mentoring on specific topics.
At the end of the program, collaborations with international festivals, producers, and distributors will also be proposed.
The training activities will be led by professionals working in the film industry, all with proven experience in the sector.
The course covers the following areas: screenplay development, development of non-script-based projects, project pitching, production and financing, working with actors, and new distribution channels beyond traditional cinema, such as museum-based presentation and digital platforms.
Feature Expanded is supported by Creative Europe/MEDIA.
programme
The six-month Feature Expanded program combines:
-
An intensive one-week residency at HOME (Manchester), including masterclasses, case study presentations, workshops, screenings, networking opportunities, as well as individual and group tutorials.
-
Online tutorials with experts from the Feature Expanded team.
-
A four-day residency at Lo schermo dell’arte Film Festival (Florence), during which participants will attend the festival and continue tutorials leading up to the final project pitching session in front of a jury composed of a selected group of industry professionals.
The Awards:
-
Feature Expanded Distribution Award: this award guarantees the distribution of the film by HOME and Lo schermo dell’arte in the UK and Italy.
-
Feature Expanded Development Award: this award offers one participant the opportunity to take part in a 4-day intensive residency to work on their film script with script consultant Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten.
-
Ottod’Ame Film Award: a cash prize to support the research and development of the film project.
-
SUB-TI Award: supported by SUB-TI, this award provides the winning film with professional subtitles in a European language.
Each of the twelve participants will be matched with a producer tutor, who will support them throughout the program in developing their feature film project, through one-on-one meetings as well as group sessions with four artists at a time.
Feature Expanded tutors include:
Jacqui Davies, Samm Haillay, and Yorgos Tsourgiannis.
Leonardo Bigazzi
Leonardo Bigazzi is a curator based in Florence and has been collaborating with Lo schermo dell’arte Film Festivalsince its first edition in 2008. Within the Festival, he is also the curator of VISIO. In addition to contributing to the film selection, he has overseen the production of special projects in past editions with artists such as Omer Fast, Melik Ohanian, and Hiroshi Sugimoto.
From 2014 to 2016, he worked as a curator at the Museo Marino Marini in Florence, where he curated the exhibition 30/60 – Works from the Frac Champagne-Ardenne Collection, featuring over 40 works from the French institution’s collection; the solo show Pablo Bronstein: Studies in Mannerist Decomposition (co-curated with Alberto Salvadori); Alfred Jarry Archipelago ‘Ha ‘Ha’, a program of performances, installations, and screenings; and Rayyane Tabet: La Mano De Dios.
In 2016, he co-curated the first edition of La Nuit Blanche de Monaco.
Since 2014, he has been collaborating with artist Petrit Halilaj, contributing to the research and production of his exhibitions at the 57th Venice Biennale (Special Mention of the Jury), New Museum (New York), kamel mennour gallery (Paris), Bundeskunsthalle (Bonn), Kölnischer Kunstverein (Cologne), and Palazzo Grassi/Punta della Dogana (Venice).
Sarah Perks
As Artistic Director of the Visual Arts section at Cornerhouse, Sarah co-curated some of the venue’s major solo exhibitions, including Everything is Happening at Once by Pakistani artist Rashid Rana, and It’s Cool, I’m Good by performance and video artist Stanya Kahn.
In 2011, Sarah established Cornerhouse Artist Film, a project focused on the production and distribution of artist feature films. The initiative launched with the UK and Ireland theatrical release of Self Made, the directorial debut of Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing.
In June 2012, the second release was Swandown by Andrew Kötting and Iain Sinclair.
More recently, Sarah produced Rosa Barba’s first 35mm feature film Subconscious Society, commissioned for cinema, as well as Rough Cut, a film accompanying Jamie Shovlin’s solo exhibition Hiker Meat.
Photo credits: Rebecca Lupton
Jacqui Davis
Producer and curator based in London, she has produced films with artists such as Ben Rivers, Richard Billingham, and Louis Henderson. She was Associate Producer on Phillip Warnell’s Ming of Harlem, screened at Lo schermo dell’arte in 2014.
She curates exhibition projects for artists working with moving images at Anthony Reynolds Gallery in London.
Samm Haillay
Founder in 2001 of the independent production company Third together with director and artist Duane Hopkins, for whom he produced numerous award-winning short films and the feature film Better Things, presented at Cannes in 2008.
He co-produced the first feature film by English artist Gillian Wearing, Self Made, screened at Lo schermo dell’arte in 2012.
Yorgos Tsourgiannis
Yorgos Tsourgiannis is an independent producer and founder/director of the Athens-based production company Horsefly Productions. His productions include:
-
Norway (2014, Yiannis Veslemes, FIPRESCI Prize Thessaloniki FF, five Hellenic Film Academy awards including Best First Feature)
-
Luton (2013, Michalis Konstantatos, Best First Feature Athens IFF)
-
Dogtooth (2009, Yorgos Lanthimos, Cannes Grand Prix Un Certain Regard, nominated for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film).
Yorgos Tsourgiannis began producing films and numerous TV commercials both independently and in collaboration with other production companies after earning an MBA from the University of Southampton in 2001 and a Master in Audiovisual Management (EMAM) from Rome in 2002.
He was selected to participate in Producers On The Move by the European Film Academy (EFA) in 2010, held in Cannes, and is a member of the ACE Producers Network, the Hellenic Film Academy, and the European Film Academy.
Sibylle Kurz
Sibylle Kurz specializes in pitching training and supports proposal development and dramaturgy. She has an academic background in media and communication sciences, sociology, and psychology, and is also an NLP trainer (INLPT Associational Standards).
She works as a pitching trainer and consultant for numerous film production schools and institutions across Europe.
In 1995, she co-founded d-net-work, an alliance of young European producers (film and documentary) aimed at facilitating co-distributions and partnerships for projects. She is also a member of the European Documentary Networkand author of several books.
Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten
Founder of MotherofSons (MOS), a film production company based in Stockholm, Marietta has worked as a commissioning editor for SVT Drama Sweden and as an editor for Pearson/Fremantle Drama before becoming an international feature film script consultant. She wrote and co-produced the film Call Girl.
Since 2007, Marietta has been a script consultant for Torino Film Lab, Binger Film Lab, and the Biennale College Cinema at the Venice Biennale. She has also served as a script advisor for TIFF STUDIO Toronto, Boost Rotterdam, Rutger Hauer Masterclasses, Generation Campus Moscow, Script Lab Russia, Balkan Film Fund Athens, Talent Campus Sarajevo and Berlinale, Irish Film Board, Filmpool Nord, B3 Media London, Lux UK, and Doha Film Institute.
Marietta is a member of the Swedish Drama Union and the European Film Academy.
Loukia Alavanou
In 2005, she completed her MA in Photography at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. In 2007, she won the DESTE Prize. Recently, Alavanou had a retrospective at State of Concept in Athens (2018). Her solo exhibitions include shows at the Kanelopoulos Cultural Centre in Elefsis, Rodeo in Istanbul, Haas & Fischer in Zurich, The Breeder in Athens, and upstairs in Berlin. She has also participated in group exhibitions at venues such as BOZAR in Brussels, SMFA in Boston, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, The Benaki Museum and The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, New Museum in New York, ikob Museum of Contemporary Art in Eupen, Moscow Biennale, Fiorucci Art Trust in Stromboli, and the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens.
Among recent festival participations are Kasseler Dokfest (2017), the 62nd Oberhausen Film Festival international competition (2016), Viennale (2015), and KINO DER KUNST (2015). Alavanou’s work has been featured in numerous publications and extensively discussed by writers such as the acclaimed British psychoanalyst and art critic Darian Leader and American artist-historian Carol Mavor.
Josefin Arnell and Natasja Loutchko
Visual artists Josefin Arnell and Natasja Loutchko share themes such as trauma and taboo in their practice. Their new film project, HorseGirl, openly addresses socio-political issues including female anger, female stereotypes, boredom, and rebellion. Beyond their artistic work, both artists are involved in feminist collaborations and independent initiatives that include performance productions and conversation events.
Arnell’s work moves between documentary and fiction, methodically exploring spaces of unreachable desires, perfectionism, and control. Her works have recently been exhibited at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Kunsthalle Münster, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and Beursschouwburg in Brussels. She participated in the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten biennial residency program in Amsterdam (2015/2016).
Loutchko’s trash aesthetic and films capture an emotional rawness reflecting both tenderness and anger, investigating a complex layering of emotions. Her work has been recently shown at MMK Zollamt and Deutsche Filmmuseum in Frankfurt, Dox and SMK in Copenhagen. She graduated in film from Städelschule in Frankfurt in 2014.
Mark Chapman
He is an artist working with moving images based in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. His work employs narrative, documentary, and experimental forms and has been screened internationally at festivals including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, IKFF Hamburg, Encounters, Tabakalera, São Paulo International Short Film Festival, and Jihlava International Documentary Festival. He has participated in industry development programs such as the Berlin Film Festival’s Berlinale Talents and the BFI London Film Festival’s Network@LFF.
His photographic work has appeared in numerous group exhibitions and magazines like ID and Aesthetica. He previously worked at Third Films, collaborating on feature films and installation projects. Currently, he teaches at Northumbria University.
Rebecca Digne
Graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, she was in residence at the Rijksakademie van Beelden Kusten in Amsterdam from 2010 to 2011, and later joined the residency program at Palais de Tokyo: Le Pavillon in Paris (2013–2014). In September 2018, she began a one-year residency at Villa Medici in Rome.
Her recent exhibitions include 100 Years Later (2014) at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Climats Artificiels (2015) at Fondation EDF in Paris, Visio: Next Generation Moving Images at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Au-delà de l’image (II) at Escougnou-Cetraro Gallery in Paris (2015), Les pieds dans le plat at La Forme in Le Havre, France (2016), La Ville au Corps at Carreau du Temple in Paris (2016), and L’Éternité par les astres at Les Tanneries in Amilly, France (2017). In 2018, she held solo exhibitions Tracer le vide at Galerie Escougnou-Cetraro and À la hauteur de la Terre at the Centre International d’Art et du Paysage in Vassivière.
Her works are part of collections including the Centre National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Seven Gravity Collection, and various private European collections.
Bettina Eberhard
Nata a Zurigo, Svizzera, ha studiato Belle Arti al Goldsmiths College di Londra. Dopo la laurea, ha proseguito la sua ricerca artistica tra Londra e Madrid. Nel 2008 si è diplomata all’Academy of Media Arts di Colonia. Da allora lavora come artista visiva, focalizzandosi su installazioni multimediali e film sperimentali. Il suo lavoro è stato presentato e premiato in festival prestigiosi come Berlinale, Oberhausen e Locarno. Cofondatrice del collettivo artistico Ulbe, con cui realizza interventi nello spazio pubblico, si concentra sul rapporto tra arte e vita quotidiana. Lavora anche come docente e tiene workshop. Bettina vive tra Zurigo e Colonia.
Gabrielle Le Bayon
Graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2012 with an MA in Photography, Gabrielle Le Bayon lives and works in Paris. She is a filmmaker whose work focuses on the relationship between myth and landscape as a trace of history. Her films engage with language and territory, exploring areas of resistance within our everyday environment and interactions in the process.
Recently, her films have been screened at MOCA Hiroshima (solo), W139 Gallery in Amsterdam, International Film Festival Oberhausen Seminar with LUX (UK) & Flaherty Seminar (US), Visions du Réel in Nyon, The Book Society in Seoul. In 2017, she was in residence at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (USA/Italy) and was selected for the Loop Barcelona Discover Award. In 2018, she undertook a residency at G.R.E.C. (Groupe de Recherches et d’Essais Cinématographiques). Her films are distributed by 6×6 Project (UK) and Videocloop Archive (Spain).
[www.gabriellelebayon.com](http://www.gabriellelebayon.com)
Gabriel Lester
Gabriel Lester works across multiple disciplines including cinema, music, performance, installation, sculpture, and architecture. His pieces are atmospheric and perceptual, often evolving around the very nature of contemporary media. Strongly inspired by music and cinema, Lester’s works challenge the reality of perception and tap into collective imagination through dramatic theatrical illusions.
Recently, he has held solo exhibitions at The Groninger Museum (2017), Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) in Vilnius (2016), de Appel arts centre in Amsterdam (2016), and Leo Xu Projects in Shanghai (2014). He has exhibited at major museums and biennials such as the 19th Biennale of Sydney, Nam June Paik Art Center (Yongin), Boijmans van Beuningen (Rotterdam), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Performa 09 (New York), Artists Space (New York), Moderna Museet (Stockholm), Liverpool Biennial, Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Busan Biennial, Baltic Triennial, PS1 (New York), Witte de With (Rotterdam), Rijksakademie (Amsterdam), and others. His works are part of many prestigious collections, and in 2012 he participated in dOCUMENTA (13).
[http://gabriellester.com](http://gabriellester.com)
Sophio Medoidze
Artista e filmmaker nata nell’URSS e cresciuta in Georgia, vive a Londra. Lavora con film, fotografia, scrittura e scultura, e per un periodo ha fatto parte anonima del collettivo Clara Emigrand. Il suo lavoro è stato esposto in spazi prestigiosi come Kunstmuseum Luzern, Whitechapel Gallery, Arnolfini, Pekhamplex e Serpentine Cinema. Attualmente è beneficiaria della Tyneside Cinema Artist Film Commission.
[www.medoidze.com](http://www.medoidze.com)
Ann Oren
Visual artist and filmmaker born in Tel Aviv in 1979, Ann Oren graduated in Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her works have been exhibited at prominent international festivals and venues including the Moscow Biennale for Young Art, WRO Media Art Biennale, B3 Moving Image Biennial, The Hammer Museum, Tel Aviv Museum, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Dok Leipzig, Locarno Festival, and Ann Arbor Film Festival.
She has received awards from prestigious institutions such as the New York State Council on the Arts, Jerome Foundation, Rabinovich Foundation, and various international festivals.
Ryan (Reynir Freyr) Parteka
He is an Icelandic-American artist who began working with photography and film before moving into interactive installations. After earning a BFA in photography and film, he completed a two-year residency at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. His work has been exhibited internationally in galleries, film festivals, and museums.
Parteka’s practice explores how humans understand and perceive themselves and the world through experiences with nature, often using landscapes as a metaphor for human fate. After a decade of producing cinematic installations, his work has come full circle—he has returned to directing and is currently developing his first feature film shot on 35mm.
Floris Schönfeld
Visual artist based in Amsterdam, working primarily with film and performance. His recent work focuses on the relationship between fiction and belief. He holds a degree in Time Based Arts from Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and a studio practice degree from California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
He has been an artist-in-residence at Rupert in Vilnius and more recently at Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. His works have been featured in numerous festivals and exhibitions, including Amsterdam Film Biennale, Rencontres International (Paris/Madrid/Berlin), Rotterdam International Film Festival, 12th International Shanghai Biennale, International Ghetto Biennale Port-au-Prince, Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin, Kassel Documentary & Film Festival, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
He has had solo shows at Rosa Napa, Kadist Foundation (San Francisco), Nest The Hague, CAC Vilnius, and most recently the Oakland Museum in California. Floris is currently developing PUK\*—a new neurodiverse form of artificial intelligence.
[www.florisschonfeld.com](http://www.florisschonfeld.com)
Cecilia Stenbom
She is a Swedish director and artist living in the northeast of England. Using both documentary and fiction, her work explores how cinema complicates and blurs the shifting boundaries between reality and on-screen representation. Her focus lies on constructing identity and the rules of interaction, often employing real-life testimonies and referencing familiar cinematic and television narrative structures.
Stenbom studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Helsinki and the Glasgow School of Art. Her work has been shown at Regent Street Cinema (London), CCA (Glasgow), Tyneside Cinema (Newcastle), Tetley (Leeds), and Video Umbrella. She has been in residence at Chapter (Cardiff) and The List. Solo exhibitions include BALTIC39 (Newcastle), Workplace Gateshead, iShorts, Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival, and MAWA residency in Winnipeg, Canada.
[www.ceciliastenbom.com](http://www.ceciliastenbom.com)
Organized and promoted by
Lo schermo dell’arte and HOME
Supported by
Creative Europe-MEDIA, an EU programme
In collaboration with
In Between Art Film
Nederlands Filmfonds
ottod’Ame
Institut français Firenze
SUB-TI
Fondazione Sistema Toscana – La Compagnia
Programme partners
CPH:DOX
Festival Scope
FID Marseille