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The Next Step II workshop combines script rewriting and music research
Since 2023, the Next Step II workshop of La Semaine de la Critique has brought together filmmakers and composers to explore the challenges of scriptwriting and music scoring, with the support of Sacem and CNC, in partnership with the cultural center Casell’arte.
For one week, 6 international filmmakers and 3 composers come together to experiment with the connections between screenwriting and musical composition, guided by consultants and experts. Filmmakers are encouraged to develop their score from the very early stages of their feature film project.
This workshop takes place from October 1st to 8th, 2026, in the Fabbrica Cultural Casell'arte created in 2019 in Venaco, in the heart of Haute-Corse.
Designed as a second stage after the original Next Step created in 2014, it is designed to support directors who previously had a short film selected at La Semaine de la Critique, on their way to their first or second feature film.
Next Step Studio was launched in 2026: this third strand offers participants the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through short film shoots and to interact with filmmakers from a guest country—Indonesia in 2026 and Armenia in 2027.
Since 2023, the workshop has welcomed 16 filmmakers and 9 composers. Three films resulting from this programme have had their world premieres: Forastera by Lucía Aleñar Iglesias, selected for Toronto IFF 2025; Titanic Ocean by Konstantina Kotzamani, Un Certain Regard 2026; and, more recently, A Day In The Life Of Jo: Chapter Phaedra by Jacqueline Lentzou, Orizzonti Award for Best Director at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
PARTICIPATING DIRECTORS & COMPOSERS
CONSULTANTS
