TorinoFilmLab names participants in SeriesLab screenwriting development programme
TorinoFilmLab (TFL) has unveiled the aspiring screenwriters who will participate in the 10th edition of its writing development programme SeriesLab, which aims to develop original, commercially viable TV series with support from industry experts.
A total of nine projects from 24 people have been selected after TFL received 96 applications from 50 countries.
The projects include:
- Anatta, a mystery thriller by Samuel Perriard, Markus Ziegler and Lea Gürtler set in the Gotthard Massif;
- Belgian sci-fi dystopian thriller Bodies by Vicky Van Hemelrijck and Monica De Bock;
- Gibraltar-to-Poland bike ride comedy Danny Boy Patches It Up! by Liam Creighton, Svitlana Topor and Lamar Hawkins.
- Dutch children’s drama Mash Up from Lilian Sijbesma, Floor Paul and Zoë Niezen;
- Philippines-set romantic workplace dramedy Never The Bride by Mary Liza Diño, Ice Seguerra and Stefano Centini;
- Hungarian drama Peach Blossom by Viktor Oszkar Nagy and Anna Maria Zavorszky, set in the final years of the Ceaușescu dictatorship;
- Rematch, a Polish sports drama about a former superstar tennis player, by Alicja Czepli, Anna Pawluczuk and Michał Wasilewski;
- Rent a Gran, a Belgian dramedy about a group of rebellious elderly people fighting financial hardship, from Camille Ghekiere, Elena Reynaert and Domien Huyghe;
- Spanish comedy Tomorrow I Will, about a procrastinating writer, by Laura Leon Varea and Eva Vázquez de Reoyo.
Furthermore, three story editor trainees selected from 43 submissions from 21 countries will also take part in SeriesLab, gaining an insight into the development process of fiction TV series. They are Danish development producer Mille Bjørke, Irish director, producer and script editor Andrea Ferran and scriptwriter, editor and author Jan Smutný from the Czech Republic.
Eszter Angyalosy, head of studies at TFL, said: “We are looking forward to following their development over the next six months and to supporting the writers, producers, and directors in finding the right shape and trajectory for their projects. Their work will once again be supported by three talented story editors, each coming from a different professional background, and each with the potential to contribute to a strong, healthy and effective TV industry in their respective national contexts.”
Participants will gather in three one-week residential workshops in Poland, Spain and Italy, plus some online sessions, from June to November 2026. The lab culminates with the TFL Meeting Event held in Turin in November – a coproduction market organised by TFL during which teams will present their projects in competition for the SeriesLab Development Award.
Angyalosy is supported by curator Eilon Ratzkovsky and three tutors: György Baráthy, Kirsten Ittershagen and Cyril Tysz, with Jacob Groll mentoring the story editor trainees.
SeriesLab 2026 is organised by Museo Nazionale del Cinema with the support of Creative Europe’s MEDIA sub-programme, in partnership with the Polish Film Institute; VAF, the Flanders Audiovisual Fund; and Comunidad de Madrid.
On the 10th anniversary, Angyalosy added: “Over this decade, the industry has gone through major shifts and crises: the rise and cooling of the streamer era, Covid, consolidation, the dominance of IP and the renewed importance of public broadcasters. As a development lab, we take the responsibility of keeping up with these changes seriously. This is reflected not only in how the programme evolves, but also in how we select projects – while continuing to look for new voices who might shape what comes next.”
