In January 2024, First Cut Lab (FCL) is set to mark the milestone of reaching its tenth edition, a testament to its founding programme initiated in collaboration with When East Meets West (WEMW). The inaugural First Cut Lab workshop unfolded in Trieste back in January 2015. With 80 successful iterations conducted globally and a notable roster of over 230 alumni films, FCL’s expanding team is gearing up for a rendezvous in the Italian port city to commemorate this remarkable journey.

In commemoration of the tenth-anniversary edition, FCL has chosen to symbolically spotlight Ukrainian cinema, and the rationale behind this decision is evident. Firstly, Ukraine holds a central position as one of the featured countries in this year's WEMW event. Equally significantly, First Cut Lab has shared some of its most productive collaborations with Ukrainian filmmakers. As the lab has evolved, mirroring the upward trajectory of Ukrainian cinema's international acclaim, they are continuing this enriching journey.

From When the Trees Fall [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Marysia Nikitiuk
scheda film] by Marysia Nikituk, which passed through the workshop in Trieste in 2017, to Stepne [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Maryna Vroda, which has just won the top prize at Scanorama (see the news) and is set to be featured in the Trieste Film Festival competition in 2024, a dozen Ukrainian films have actively participated in the lab. Notable examples include Stop-Zemlia [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kateryna Gornostai
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intervista: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk
intervista: Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk
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scheda film] by Antonio Lukich. Meanwhile, the premieres of some upcoming films such as Chrysanthemum Day by Simon Mozgovoy, Company of Steel by Yulia Gontarchuk and U Are the Universe [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Pavlo Ostrikov
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Almost the entire team from First Cut Lab will be present in Trieste for this anniversary celebration, including director and heads of lab Matthieu Darras, Julie Marnay and Natalia Libet, editorial advisors Erica Barbiani, Suzy Gillett, Naomi Levari and Wim Vanacker, and editorial consultants Catalin Cristutiu, Una Gunjak, Maya Maffioli, Benjamin Mirguet and Sebastian Winkels.

In addition to the workshop, FCL intends to commemorate this milestone by presenting an engaging series of discussions on film editing to guests attending WEMW on 23 January.

First Cut Lab Trieste is an initiative by Tatino Films, supported by and organised in collaboration with When East Meets West.