The 2025 edition of the #Biografilm Festival will take place in Bologna from 6 to 16 June. A key component of Biografilm is the twelfth edition of #Bio to B# – Industry Days | Doc, scheduled for 7 and 8 June. This professional platform brings together European documentary stakeholders for networking and project development. Its central event is the Pitching Forum, where 20 documentary projects—selected from over 130 submissions representing 23 European countries—will be presented.
Four of the selected projects are from #Emilia-Romagna, and thirteen are European co-productions. The selection criteria emphasised gender representation and environmental sustainability: 13 projects are led by gender-balanced teams, and eight have demonstrated eco-conscious production approaches.
Industry professionals participating in the forum include representatives from Rai Documentari, Sky Documentaries, Cinecittà, I Wonder Pictures, Cinephil, various European distributors, regional film commissions, and the Creative Europe Desk Italy Media.
Bio to B 2025 introduces two new initiatives to enhance the documentary development process. The Development Room – Cross Looks is a creative lab offering in-depth exploration of three projects in early development. The Past Forward – Archive Film Lab, supports projects that incorporate archival footage, with a focus on historical and memory-based storytelling.
The festival program includes ten films either set in Emilia-Romagna or produced by companies based in the region. This selection demonstrates the ongoing vitality of the regional documentary scene and the festival’s interest in highlighting local stories.
Featured titles include:
- 100 Liters of Gold by Teemu Nikki, a comedy inspired by Finnish beer culture.
- A Luci Spente by Mattia Epifani, a biographical portrait of boxer Loris Stecca.
- Comrades by Joanna Janikowska, depicting the personal and political lives of young communists in Bologna.
- De la guerre froide à la guerre verte by Anna Recalde Miranda, exploring environmental activism in Latin America.
- Dear Audience by Enrico Baraldi, focusing on Ukrainian actresses facing war and displacement.
- Fango – Storia di una alluvione by Marco Cortesi and Mara Moschini, documenting the 2023 floods in Emilia-Romagna.
- Il faro – Il fantastico viaggio della Banda Rulli Frulli by Gianluca Marcon and Diego Gavioli, about a youth band that builds instruments from recycled materials.
- Il Pilastro by Roberto Beani, addressing urban planning in Bologna’s Pilastro neighborhood.
- Quale allegria by Francesco Frisari, reflecting on disability and the legacy of musician Lucio Dalla.
- Radio Solaire – Radio diffusion rurale by Federico Bacci and Francesco Eppesteingher, exploring grassroots broadcasting initiatives.
