What does it mean for you to be selected for such a prestigious programme as Berlinale Talents?

It’s undoubtedly an opportunity in many ways: a chance to catch up on what is happening in cinema internationally and to listen to leading professionals, a space to connect with peers from around the world who are in a similar situation to mine, and a way to experience the Berlin Film Festival from the inside.

What do you expect your time there to be like? Have they mentioned what your plan of activities will involve?

The programme is very intense and includes everything from more traditional masterclasses to participatory activities aimed at encouraging networking with other professionals. There are specific activities for directors as well as more general ones linked to various disciplines. What I'm most excited about, in terms of directing, are the talks by Todd Haynes and Joshua Oppenheimer. I'm also really looking forward to a workshop called 'Archive Yourself', run by curators from the German film archive, which focuses on how to preserve one's own creative archive.

How do you think taking part in a programme like this could benefit you?

A challenge I frequently face with my projects is the issue of internationalisation: breaking into international circuits is very difficult. I hope that my time in Berlin will give me a little push in this regard.

Do you have any specific goals? Are you attending with a project?

It's not required to come with a project for the programme, and that's the case for me. I don't have specific objectives, other than to learn and take advantage of any opportunities that come my way.

It's surely a fantastic opportunity to make new contacts and open new doors...

Of course, although sometimes doors don’t open immediately. Continuous learning and involvement in labs and festivals should be a constant commitment that delivers long-term results. You don’t go to Berlin and come back with an agenda full of potential partners and projects. Instead, you’re planting seeds and building relationships that, if looked after, will eventually form a network of support to bring future projects to life.

Speaking a bit about the future, what projects do you have on the go?

I’m currently working on the development of ‘Caro Bastiano’, which will be filmed across Germany, Italy, and the Basque Country. It’s a hybrid film, starting as a fiction set in 1945, before transitioning into a documentary set in the present day. As with previous projects, I draw from my family history and a familiar environment to explore universal themes and establish connections between the past and the present.