TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab
Lab · 2026Prestige 76/100
Nine months developing a feature with a professional script consultant. Free to apply, 2,500 euro to attend.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 edition is complete and no 2027 call has been announced. Applications for the 2026 edition closed on 3 November 2025. TorinoFilmLab typically opens its calls in the autumn.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 8 Aug 2026.
It costs €2,500 if you get in
That is charged after selection and is separate from any entry fee above. Charged per participant. A second participant on the same project, a co-writer or director, costs a further 2,000 euro, so a writer-director team pays 4,500 euro. VAT is charged if due and is not quantified. The fee covers training, accommodation with breakfast, and lunches plus some dinners during residential workshops; travel and remaining meals are not included. Scholarships covering half the fee are available for participants from low-capacity countries, underrepresented groups, countries with no national scholarship for this training, or others in proven financial need, and individual partner funds have covered part or all of the fee for specific nationalities in past editions.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Single PDF, maximum 10 MB, entirely in English · Project synopsis, maximum 2 pages, Courier New 12, double spaced · Director statement of intention, maximum 3 pages · CV, maximum 2 pages · Link to a personal video message of up to 2 minutes · Links to previous audiovisual works with English subtitles where needed (showreels are not accepted) · Preselected applicants then submit a treatment of up to 15 pages
Open to experienced and emerging writer-directors, or teams of a writer and a director, from anywhere in the world. A director is mandatory: projects submitted by a scriptwriter without an attached director are not eligible. Applicants need at least one previous work as a director, which may be a feature, short film or commercial. A producer is not required. Projects must be at an early stage: anything that already has screenplay drafts will not be considered. Adaptations require secured rights. English is the working language and all written materials and drafts must be translated into English. Full availability for all workshops and the Meeting Event is required. One project per filmmaker per year; a rejected project may be resubmitted once if substantially changed, never a third time.
Prizes
No cash award attached to the lab itself. Projects may win partner awards at the TorinoFilmLab Meeting Event, but TorinoFilmLab has published only last cycle's list with a note that current information is still to come, so those figures should not be treated as confirmed for a future edition. What the fee buys is training, accommodation including breakfast, and lunches with some dinners during the residential workshops. Travel and remaining meals are borne by the participant.
Judging
Applications are assessed by TorinoFilmLab, with preselected applicants asked for a treatment at a second stage. Head of Studies is Eva Svenstedt Ward, curator Amra Baksic Camo. The 2026 tutors were Anna Ciennik, Miguel Lopez Beraza, Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten and Aleksandra Swierk. No written feedback is offered to unsuccessful applicants.
The PreList verdict
TorinoFilmLab is one of the most respected development labs in Europe, and ScriptLab is its early-stage feature strand: nine months, sixteen projects in groups of four, each with a professional script tutor, ending in a presentation to invited producers, sales agents and decision makers in Turin. Backed by Creative Europe. If you are trying to get a European feature moving, the room is genuinely worth being in.
The honest part, and the reason this entry exists at all: it is free to apply and 2,500 euro to attend, plus VAT if due. That is charged per participant, so a writer and director applying together pay 4,500 euro between them. The fee covers your training, your bed and most of your meals during the residential weeks, but not your travel. There is no cash award attached to the lab itself, and the partner awards you may have read about are last cycle's figures which TorinoFilmLab has not yet confirmed for a current edition. Half-fee scholarships exist for writers from low-capacity countries, underrepresented groups and others in proven need, and they are worth asking about before you rule this out.
The hard gate is not money though: a director must be attached, with at least one previous directed work behind them. A screenwriter cannot apply to ScriptLab alone, however good the treatment. Your project must also be genuinely early, with no existing screenplay drafts. The 2026 edition has finished and no 2027 call is announced yet, so watch the autumn.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What does it actually cost?
Applying is free. If you are selected, participation is 2,500 euro plus VAT if due, charged per participant, so a writer and director team pays 4,500 euro between them. That covers training, accommodation with breakfast and most meals during the residential weeks. Travel is not included.
Can I apply as a writer on my own?
No. TorinoFilmLab states plainly that projects by a scriptwriter without an attached director are not eligible, and that director needs at least one previous directed work, which can be a feature, short or commercial. A producer is not required.
Are there scholarships?
Yes. A limited number cover half the participation fee, for participants from low-capacity countries, underrepresented groups, countries that offer no national scholarship for this kind of training, or anyone in proven financial need. Individual partner funds have also covered part or all of the fee for specific nationalities in past editions.
When can I apply?
The 2026 edition is complete and no 2027 call has been announced. The 2026 round closed on 3 November 2025, and TorinoFilmLab generally opens its calls in the autumn.
Is your script right for TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this lab: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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