A year after its launch, MASO has come to represent innovation in Europe’s short-film scene. Why? The professional programme accompanies young filmmakers from their first idea to final production, creating valuable connections to distributors and festival representatives. A look back at the MASO Industry Day held during BFFB 2025.
The latest edition of the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen (BFFB) showcased the impressive potential of the MASO – Short Film Training Programme. “It all started with a brainstorming session at my office,” recalls Renate Ranzi, Head of the IDM Film & Music Commission Südtirol. “We were exploring how to enhance the industry programme for a professional audience – and short film funding turned out to be the answer.” Festival director Vincenzo Bugno, who co-initiated the project, is delighted with the progress made so far. MASO is committed to a clearly defined goal: to create a space dedicated to the ideas and creativity of filmmakers and to ensure their voices are heard. Short films are at the heart of the programme, opening up new perspectives, grabbing the attention of key players in the industry, and sparking an interest at top-tier international festivals.
On 8 April 2025, the participants of MASO #1, the first edition of the programme, reunited during BFFB. Earlier that year, they had already gathered for an opening workshop on screenwriting in Norway. During the MASO Industry Day, directors and producers continued their work on the eight selected projects on South Tyrolean soil, this time focusing on the production step. They had the opportunity to introduce their ideas to industry experts and audiovisual professionals, including Carla Vulpiani (Short Film Advisor at the Venice International Film Festival) and Wim Vanacker (Selection Committee – Official Short Film Competition at the Cannes International Film Festival). What defines MASO is its commitment to training and mentoring filmmakers, promoting innovation, diversity, and inclusion.
MASO is funded and co-organised by the IDM Film & Music Commission Südtirol and the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen, with additional support from the Departments for the German, Italian, and Ladin Culture of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen. The programme also benefits from a collaboration with the ZeLIG School for Documentary, Television and New Media in Bolzano and the Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio as well as numerous international partnerships, including with the FilmCamp in Norway. While the first round is still in progress, MASO has already established itself as a flagship programme for regional film initiatives. A first call attracted a total of 132 applications from 45 countries, 70% of which were submitted by women. The eight projects selected are currently at different stages of production.
MASO soon attracted international acclaim and has been growing in popularity ever since. Scholarships for participating projects come from across borders – from Italy, for example, from the Fondo per l’Audiovisivo del Friuli Venezia Giulia and from partnerships with Roma Creative Contest, Sentiero Film Factory and WeShort, but also from abroad, demonstrating MASO’s international reach. Support from Norway comes from the Nordnorsk Filmsenter – North Norwegian Film Centre and from the FilmCamp. France is represented by the Ciclic Centre-Val de Loire, Germany offers support through the Hessen Film & Medien GmbH. Austria contributes through FAMA (Film and Music Austria) and the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport of the Republic of Austria (BMWKMS). The FilmCamp in Norway joined as a partner and location for workshop 1, the ZeLIG School for Documentary, Television and New Media in Bolzano came on board for workshop 2.
“We’re keeping in touch with our directors and producers every step of the way to track their progress and ensure every project gets the chance to develop at its own pace and reach its best outcome. Only very few programmes are structured like this.”
“Our collaborations with our international colleagues have been incredibly rewarding. We are absolutely thrilled to see so many applications coming in. An external panel of industry experts is in charge of evaluation and selection – we even had to bring in more experts to the panel to have the capacity to take in all incoming applications and improve the evaluation process. Our experts are from Asia, Latin America, and Europe,” says Renate Ranzi.
Once the participating projects have been selected, the directors and producers enter the programme, which offers support all the way from production to distribution. “In addition to on-site workshops, we offer various masterclasses and individual sessions on topics that are highly relevant and that shape the industry. Our programme ranges from masterclasses on artificial intelligence in the audiovisual sector or on diversity and inclusion to online presentations by the programme’s supporters,” explains Enrico Vannucci, who oversees the short film selection at the Locarno Film Festival and is MASO’s creative advisor. Vannucci is the head of the advisory board and coordinates the two screenplay tutors during the development stage and the two tutors responsible for the production stage. “We’re keeping in touch with our directors and producers every step of the way to track their progress and ensure every project gets the chance to develop at its own pace and reach its best outcome. Only very few programmes are structured like this.”
“MASO creates a truly special environment that is both welcoming and inspiring. It is a space to explore storytelling and pursue creative ideas with utmost dedication and professional support but without any pressure from the outside.”
The MASO #1 short film projects of the eight teams from Germany, France, Poland, Austria, Norway, Italy, and Nepal are already well advanced. Nepalese filmmaker Suraj Paudel, whose short film Lori was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, says: “Without MASO, my story The Freezer would still be sitting in a drawer, buried deep under dust and doubts. This programme helped bring my story to life and has proven to be a valuable companion every step of the way.” Screenwriter and director Giulia Palaia from Bolzano is responsible for Anita, another project in the programme. The short film is produced by Luca Bedini from Taiga Films and the local production company FrabiatoFilm and is supported by the three Departments of Culture of the Province of Bolzano. Due Madri, the author’s last short film, was screened at one of BFFB’s previous editions.
“MASO creates a truly special environment that is both welcoming and inspiring. It is a space to explore storytelling and pursue creative ideas with utmost dedication and professional support but without any pressure from the outside,” explains French producer Laure Dahout, who works with director Zorana Mušikić on the project Lifescore. PFX Italy, a post-production studio and partner of MASO, awarded a total of €5,000 in post-production services for the animated short film project by Ukrainian director Anastazja Naumenko. The award was accepted by the director together with her project partner, Polish producer Maks Piłasiewicz, at the MASO Industry Day.
Building on the success of MASO #1, the IDM Film & Music Commission Südtirol continues its work on MASO #2. The first round of projects will soon be complete: The eight creative teams have brought their stories to life and will soon present their short films at festivals all around the world. Held as part of BFFB, the MASO Industry Day has proven to be a valuable platform for training, networking, and professional development. MASO #2 will build on the insights from the first edition, making the programme even more international and inclusive in nature.
