In the second funding call of the year, IDM film funding supports 20 film projects: seven of the eleven Italian projects come from South Tyrol, four projects from Germany, and the others from Austria, Switzerland, England, the Netherlands, and Singapore. Around 100 shooting days are scheduled in South Tyrol for the supported productions.
Eight projects receive production funding, four of them are fictional
IDM supports “Lassie und die Legende vom wilden Bären”, the latest chapter of the successful cinema series about the world’s most famous dog. The family film is produced by Berlin’s Henning Ferber Filmproduktion, and Mara Eibl-Eibesfeldt is the director, with a screenplay by Andreas Cordes. The shooting days planned in South Tyrol are eleven. The sequel to “Der Buchspazierer” will also be partly shot in South Tyrol. From September, Christoph Maria Herbst will be in front of the camera for this movie, produced by Wüste Film Hamburg and based on a script by Andi Rogenhagen and Carsten Henn (who also wrote the novel). The director is Ngo The Chau. From Switzerland comes the project “Under the Ice.” C-Films from Zurich produces the thriller from a screenplay by Alexander Buresch and Fabien Virayie, directed by Jan‑Eric Mack and Claudio Faeh. Filming is expected to start in October 2026 in Bolzano, Bressanone, and Campo Tures. The Christmas special of the successful British comedy “The Cleaner” will be shot in South Tyrol. The series is written by British comedian Greg Davies, who also plays the main role, while Rupert Everett takes on the role of a questionable hotel manager. Shooting will take place in Val Senales. Production: Studio Hamburg UK, based in London.
Production funding for four documentaries
The documentary from the Cologne-based Florianfilm, about Italy’s secret gardens – “Italy’s secret gardens” – naturally includes South Tyrol. The two South Tyrolean authors, Cornelia Schöpf (treatment and direction) and Federico Campana (director), will also shoot on the “Malser Heide” in the Upper Val Venosta. Albolina Film from Bolzano accompanies the South Tyrolean collective Shanti Powa in “Shanti Powa – Music is our Weapon” (direction and screenplay: Christoph Franceschini) during the creation of their fifth studio album. Shooting will take place this summer, in several South Tyrolean locations. The South Tyrolean Reinhold Messner is also preparing his next documentary with his production company, Dolomites Film. “Das Vermächtnis” depicts the German‑Austrian expedition to Nanga Parbat in 1953. Messner wrote the treatment and will be the director. Finally, in “La Base. Una Storia di Confine” (AT), Chorus Filmfactory from Trento, with the direction of Vittorio Curzel, tells the story of a former barracks in Silandro (South Tyrol) now used as a creative hub and whose preservation is the subject of controversial debate.
Support for three short films
“Can You Touch Me?” is a short film developed within the MASO#2 programme, which tells of a young man from China who has a life‑changing encounter in the mountains. The film is produced by Potocol Pte from Singapore. In “Grenzgang,” a Tyrolean border police officer becomes entangled in a conflict between professional duties and personal problems. The short is produced by Movie.mento from Bolzano and directed by Lorenz Klapfer. “Kalte Nähe” tells of a man who returns to his father’s farm after years and confronts a problematic past. Directed and written by Florian Tappeiner, the film is produced by Gugg OHG (Andreas von Spinn & Florian Tappeiner).
Development funding for nine projects
The historical drama “Flügge” by Bavarian Willit Grain tells the story of a young woman who lives in a mountain village before the start of World War I, who dreams of building an airplane and flying away. Gaudenz Leopold Schraudolph is developing the feature with his co‑writer from South Tyrol, Lisa Maria Kerschbaumer. “The Winnowing” is set in the post‑World War I period instead and follows a traumatized military doctor. The Bolzano‑based Greif Produktion is the producer of this horror film; Alessio Liguori is the director, writing together with Fabio Canepa. From Austria comes the documentary project “Perfect Tiger”, which examines the successful story of tiger conservation in India. Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion realizes the treatment by Tamara Diepold, who will co‑direct with Julian Giacomuzzi and Nishant Shailajan. South Tyrolean Maura Delpero (script and director) explores existential and socio‑economic themes of our time in “Klimt” through the intimate story of three members of the same family. The feature is a production of the Italian Cinedora S.r.l.. Director RP Kahl presents the life of the beloved German actor in “Heinz Rühmann – Ein Schauspielerleben”, based on a treatment by Lars‑Olav Beier; the film is a production of A Company Italia from Bolzano. The animation project “Nanà” from Merano’s Da Palmer Film tells the story of a five‑year‑old girl who is able to understand animals with the help of a magical pair of glasses. The series screenplay is by Tanja Schweigl. “Sotto i Nostri Occhi” follows people affected by abuse by clergy in South Tyrol. Directed and written by Luca Bedini, the documentary is produced by Pongofilms from Modena. Levante Produzioni, from Trieste, takes up the Fanes legends with its current animated film “Dolasilla – Principessa del Destino,” centered on the story of King Proserpio and his daughter Dolasilla; the screenplay is by Anita Rivaroli and Carlo Zoratti. Finally, IDM is also funding the development of the Dutch documentary “Der Deserteur” about the story of the South Tyrolean Ignaz Fürgler, who is transformed from an SS recruit into a resistance fighter in the Netherlands. The treatment is by Luna Fürgler, one of his great-granddaughters. The director is Willy Lindwer, while the production is by Staccato Films from Amsterdam.