At the 81st Venice International Film Festival, twelve innovative film projects were announced as part of the 13th edition of the Biennale College Cinema 2024/25. The selected teams, each consisting of a director and a producer, will attend a 10-day workshop in Venice, running from October 8 to 17, 2024.
Among the standout selections is ‘1 Woman, 1 Bra,’ the debut feature from Kenyan director Vincho Nchogu and Nigerian producer Josh Olaoluwa. This marks a significant achievement for the dynamic duo, who have already made waves with their involvement in prestigious programmes like the Red Sea Lodge and Torino Film Lab.
Biennale College Cinema is a prestigious training initiative that supports filmmakers worldwide, offering them the opportunity to develop their projects in a creative and collaborative environment. Following the workshop, four of the twelve projects will be selected to receive production funding of up to €200,000, with the films premiering at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.
Out of the twelve projects selected, nine were chosen from the Biennale College Cinema—International competition, while the remaining three came from the Biennale College Cinema—Italy competition. The full list of selected projects is as follows:
Selected Projects for Biennale College Cinema 2024/25
- 1 Woman, 1 Bra
1st Feature | Director: Vincho Nchogu (Kenya) | Producer: Josh Olaoluwa (Nigeria) - Agnus Dei
2nd Feature | Director: Massimiliano Camaiti (Italy) | Producer: Giovanna Nicolai (Italy) - Badland
1st Feature | Director: Mounir Derbal (Italy) | Producer: Lorenzo Fiuzzi (Italy) - Becoming Human
2nd Feature | Director: Polen Ly (Cambodia) | Producer: Daniel Mattes (US) - Last Time, Again
1st Feature | Director: Di Zhang (China) | Producer: Beryl Liu (Canada) - Orange Peel
1st Feature | Director: Anita Rivaroli (Italy) | Producer: Marco Mingolla (Italy) - Saving the Day
2nd Feature | Director: Serhat Karaaslan (Turkey) | Producer: Laura Dahout (France) - Secret of a Mountain Serpent
2nd Feature | Director: Nidhi Saxena (India) | Producer: Vimukthi Jayasundara (India) - Summer 1999
1st Feature | Director: Hang Luong Nguyen (Vietnam) | Producer: Dinh Le Minh Trinh (Vietnam) - The Booking
2nd Feature | Director: Gabriella Moses (US) | Producer: Sarah Wharton (US) - The Family
1st Feature | Director: Hanna Jalali (Ukraine) | Producer: Moeinoddin Jalali (Iran) - Vanishing Bones
2nd Feature | Director: Simon Rieth (France) | Producer: Inès Daïen Dasi (France)
The selection of ‘1 Woman, 1 Bra’ for this prestigious platform is another step forward for African storytellers in global cinema, highlighting the cross-cultural collaborations that are shaping the future of filmmaking.
