FRED Film Radio - English Channel

The Emilia Romagna Film Commission was present at the European Film Market 2025 also as partner on a film that was in the Berlinale programme. the film is "Paternal Leave" by Alissa Jung that was shoot almost entirely in the region. Talking with Emma Barboni, film commissioner, we discover how the film was born and why it had to be shot in Emilia Romagna. And we also have a glimpse on the new funding calls promoted by the region.

A joint venture between the film funds and the regional music fund

In Emilia Romagna there is also a Music Fund, promoted by the regional government , to help the production of music in the region and to increase the activity of musicians and music producers. As Emma Barboni tells here, it made perfect sense that the Film Fund joined this other public fund; therefore the two funds can work together and a film production can apply to both, deciding to have the music for the film produced and recorded in Emilia Romagna

This interview was recorded during the (Berlinale), in partnership with the Italian Film Commissions Association and with the support of the Italian Trade Agency.

Gemma Lynch is the Head of Production of Sardinia Film Commission. Her presence at the European Film Market, besides the regular activities of finding productions to come and shoot on the island and promoting the territory,  is strictly link to the promotion of talents from the region, through a delegation of professionals that have been brought to Berlin to mingle and let themselves be known.

The first time a delegation of professionals is helped to self promote.

Gemma Lynch tells about the peculiarity of this choice of bringing to the Berlinale and the European Film market a delegation of film professionals coming from Sardinia, in order to let themselves be known and to promote the services of the territory as well. It is a bold and unprecedented move, at least in that scale.

This interview was recorded during the (Berlinale), in partnership with the Italian Film Commissions Association and with the support of the Italian Trade Agency.

The Italian Film Commission Association has recently renovated its board. the new elected members are the president Jacopo Chessa, (Veneto Film Commission) and the two vice presidents Alessandra Miletto (Valle d'Aosta Film Commission) and Fabio Abagnato (Emilia Romagna Film Commission). We met with the president and one of the vice president to talk about what this elections mean for them and for the future of the association.

The key words are collaboration and synergy

Jacopo Chessa and Alessandra Miletto are adamant on the concept of renovation of the asset of the association, starting with a closer and tighter link with all the public institutions that are involved and partners of the activities of the film commissions, both on regional and  state level. More the intention of the new board is to implement the synergy among all the film Commissions to optimise the group effort of promoting Italy altogether, besides the peculiarities of every region.

We met with the IDM Film Commission Südtirol at the European Film Market 2025, in Berlin. Talking with Birgit Oberkofler, Head Film Fund & Commissioner we found out about the news in their activities and we talked about the experience of participating to the production of "Vermiglio", the acclaimed Italian film that was shot in their region.

Two new funds

Birgit Oberkofler told us about two new funds the IDM FilM Commission Südtirol just announced. One is dedicated to music, helping composers, musical artists and musical producers of the region in their craft. The second one is about distribution, contributing in the distribution of films, that is always the most demanding and important part in the life of a movie. Infos for both funds can be found on the IDM website.

This interview was recorded during the (Berlinale), in partnership with the Italian Film Commissions Association and with the support of the Italian Trade Agency.

Alessandra Miletto, Director of the Valle d'Aosta Film Commission, was in Berlin attending the European Film Market. We met at the Italian Pavillon, home-base for the all the Italian professionals at the EFM, to talk about the news happening in the region and to the youngest and smallest film commission in Italy.

Three new Production Companies and a cap raise in funding

Alessandra Miletto explains how much the Valle d'Aosta Film Commission has invested in educational courses for producers, and the result of such investments is now visible: three new production companies were born in the region to be the link with the external production companies that are going to shoot on these territories. Beside that, there has been a decisive raise on the cap for the film funding, up to 300.000€, increasing the appeal of the region for new projects.

This interview was recorded during the (Berlinale), in partnership with the Italian Film Commissions Association and with the support of the Italian Trade Agency.

“The good Sister“, the feature film directed by Sarah Miro Fischer, included in the panorama section of the Berlinale 75 is an unusual take on the issue of sexual violence, seen form the point of view of the sister of the perpetrator. Starting form a personal experience of violence, Sarah Miro Fischer narrates the fade-out of the other and sister relationship under the weight of an accusation of rape.

The peculiarity of the brother -sister relationship

Sarah Miro Fischer in “The Good Sister” uses all the singular aspects of a brother-sister relationship to underline the gravity of what the brother did related to the effects of the change of perception of himself that the sister has to go through and manage: Finding herself all of a sudden facing a person she does not recognise and not knowing what to do.

At the 75th Berlinale, director Huo Meng captivated audiences with "Living the Land", a poignant and visually stunning portrait of rural China on the brink of transformation. The film, which won the Silver Bear for Best Director, delicately explores the impact of modernization on traditional life, following a young boy left behind as his parents seek work in the city.

A Cinematic Time Capsule

Rather than focusing on the future, "Living the Land" turns its gaze to the past, capturing a world in transition. Huo Meng’s producer and interpreter, Zhang Fan, explains, translating the director's words, that the film’s narrative is like a photograph: “You see thousands of years of agricultural society, and at that very specific point, things started to change, leading into a new future.”

Painting with the Camera

The film’s cinematography is breathtaking, with frames reminiscent of oil paintings. This was an intentional choice to reflect the warmth of rural life in contrast to the cold, industrialized future. “The industrial sense is cold and freezing, but nature is warm,” Zhang Fan explains on behalf of Huo Meng.

Tradition vs. Change

While the film portrays a way of life that seems to be disappearing, Huo Meng believes that traditions still endure in meaningful ways. An example from real life: during Chinese New Year, a funeral in a village caused many returning workers to postpone their departure, honouring long-held customs of respect and community.

Blurring Fiction and Reality

With its observational style, "Living the Land" often feels like a documentary. The director’s approach blends scripted storytelling with real-life traditions, capturing the emotional depth of daily life—from cooking to sewing quilts, each action filled with meaning. “Daily life itself is full of emotions,” says Zhang Fan, translating Huo Meng.

"Living the Land" is a moving reflection on family, memory, and the resilience of tradition. Through poetic visuals and intimate storytelling, Huo Meng invites us to witness a world in flux—one where the past and future exist in delicate balance.

The Light by Tom Tykwer is the opening film of the 75th Berlin International film festival. 

Screening in Berlinale Special, the film sees Lars Eidinger and Nicolette Krebitz as a couple and parents of teenagers struggling as a dysfunctional family with their contradictions. 

Lars Eidinger confesses that he knew before starting to work on the film that his character  was actually inspired by Tom Tykwer himself, as a sort of an alter ego of the german director. 

Nicolette Krebitz describes  her experience in the team effort that was the film and how they all worked at making their characters as real as possible.

Liryc Dela Cruz is at the 75th Berlinale with his directorial debut feature "When the night stands still - Come la notte". 

The film, set in Italy is a co-production between Italy and the Philippines and it follows three Filipino siblings, all domestic workers in Italy, reunite in their older sister Lilia's inherited villa.

The idea came to Dela Cruz as he proceeded to mix up all the tales he heard from friends in Italy and turn those stories into a film. 

While depicting the dynamics and interactions between these three siblings, Dela Cruz’s idea was to explore, on a very deep and personal level, the silent corrosive legacy that colonialism has left on the Filipino psyche.

Founder of "Il Mio filippino collective", when asked if he feels more italian or philippine, Dela Cruz admits to feel both and that, despite all its contradictions and often racism, he still feels very connected to Italy as his land.

"Mad Bills To Pay" by Joel Alfonso Vargas is a realist social drama on a Latino family in the Bronx. there is a lot of personal memories in the film, as the director comes form Bronx and inevitably the neighbourhood becomes another lead character of the movie. We met with the director on the day of the film's premiere in the Perspective programme in the Berlin International Film Festival.

The choice on casting also non professional actors to get more realistic

One of the aims of Joel Alfonso Vargas in making "Mad Bills To Pay" was the realism, in order to get that he decided to cast also on professional actors form the Bronx. Casting was very successful and the chosen people were so natural and at ease not to show their minor acting skills. The rehearsals were long and  they are all perfectly integrated in the film.

A semi- documentaristic p.o.v. 

The way "Mad Bills To Pay" is shot is through use of wide angles, some static wide shots from a distance, to give the audience the idea of the world the characters live in and also to open a peek in that life for an audience that sometimes feels to be in a real-life show more than in a fiction.