Talent Showcase! Sam Spiegel International Film Lab – Pitching Event, 14th Edition

Talent Showcase! The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab introduces 10 market viable features from Brazil, Hungary, Austria and Israel. After a 10-month development process of their first or second feature films, teams of filmmakers and producers will show a 3-minute scene from the film they developed and pitch their story. 

List of Projects:

Quinn of the West - In a post-apocalyptic Europe, a young woman finds a way to reconnect with her long presumed dead mother. The estranged pair sets out into a dangerous world to find fortune and overcome their hurtful past. Filmmakers: David Wagner (“Eismayer”) & Magda Woitzuck; Producer: Arash T. Riahi. Austria

Leaving Gur - Between a rural town and the Red Sea, a young Hasidic couple escapes the strict Gur community, seeking forbidden intimacy. A journey of redemption - through body, sin, and the desert. Filmmaker: Brachi Haisherik; Producers: Tammy Cohen & Adar Shafran. Israel

Horse Parade - On Brazil's clandestine horse-racing circuit, a fiercely talented teenage female jockey must deal with her father's gambling addiction, the very thing that fuels, as well as threatens, her gift. Filmmakers: Luciana Vieira & Gabriela Matarazzo; Producer: Claudia Chakmati. Brazil

Until You See People - As war with Iran erupts, Noy, a young affluent mother, and her family, flee Tel Aviv for an isolated desert villa. When a young girl who escaped Gaza appears at their door, Noy's determination to protect her, leaves her standing alone against everyone she loves. Filmmaker: Eilon Bar Tal (“Estate”); Producer: Michal Giladi. Israel

The Time Tunnel of Sex - A young gay man struggling with sexual trauma and addiction, suddenly loses his father in a terror attack. The week of mourning uncovers the intergenerational turmoil running in his family. A comedy-drama exploring the ties between personal and collective scarring, in post war Israel. Filmmaker: Iftach Illouzl; Producer: Gil Sima. Israel

Care - A Hungarian mother of two, living in Berlin, returns to Lake Balaton for the summer. After befriending two village boys, she suspects their mother is abusing them. As her doubts grow, she must decide whether to intervene or look away. Filmmakers: Marcell Gerő & Sára László; Producer: Sára László. Hungary

Every Step You Take - Facing unwanted relocation to America, 17-year-old Elinor vows to protect the intense, symbiotic bond with her reckless best friend, Sharona. In a desperate act of rebellion, the girls escape to a desert rave, pushing their bond to a breaking point. Filmmaker: Noa Gusakov; Producer: Leah Tonic. Israel

Thicker Than Water - During an all-inclusive holiday in Tenerife, the once unbreakable bond between two siblings seems to shatter, when 14-year-old Fiona tries to protect her sensitive younger brother Lenn, after being confronted with a traumatic family secret. Filmmaker: Eléna Weiss; Producer: Verena Gräfe-Höft. Germany

Mazal - Mazal is planning the 12th birthday of her dreams, hoping to finally reinvent herself. But with rockets falling, and war raging outside, puberty turns out to be its own battlefield. Filmmaker: Helli Hardy; Producers: Kobi Mizrahi & Ohad San. Israel

Don’t Forget Flora - A reclusive wildlife photographer discovers her dementia-stricken husband has a secret daughter. She follows her to find a new sense of purpose. With forcing herself into a family that isn't hers, she blurs the line between belonging and obsession. Filmmaker: Yotam Knispel; Producer: Harel Ben Melech. Israel

MODERATOR: 

AC Coppens (Founder, The Catalysts)

SPEAKERS: 

Dana Blankstein Cohen (Executive Director, The Sam Spiegel Film and Television Institute)

Mor Eldar (Director, The Sam Spiegel Labs)

HOSTED BY SAM SPIEGEL INTERNATIONAL FILM LAB

Since its launch in 2011, The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab has been a leading force in the development of groundbreaking feature films by some of the world’s most promising talents. Films developed at the lab won important awards: Son of Saul won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; Murina won the Golden Camera Award at the Cannes Film Festival; Hold onto Me and Girls will be Girls both won the Audience Award – Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival (in 2024 and 2026). Manas won the Giornate Degli Autori Director's Award in Venice Film Festival 2024, and many others.

The Lab is a 10 month development program. The selected international and Israeli projects undergo an in-depth process with the Lab's acclaimed script editors, after which they are presented to an audience of jury members and decision makers at a celebratory event, which is taking place this year at the Venice Production Bridge.

The jury awards production prizes totaling $50,000- $70,000, generously donated by the Beracha Foundation. 

​The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab supports bold storytellers, who look deeply into the human experience in search for their unique truth. The projects speak for themselves.