From Italy to China, from Iran to Argentina, applications for the new edition of Laguna Film Lab – Giorgio Gosetti Artistic Residency have arrived from 12 countries. The documentary film residency is curated by ZaLab in collaboration with the Giornate degli Autori.
More than 80 applications were received and assessed through an initial selection process followed by a series of interviews. The four selected filmmakers will take part in a creative process encompassing writing, research, filming, editing and post-production, leading to the creation of a collective film approximately 50–70 minutes in length.
The project will be presented as part of the 24th edition of the Giornate degli Autori and the 13th edition of Laguna Sud – Il Cinema fuori dal Palazzo.
THE SELECTED FILMMAKERS:
GRACE HSIA
Chinese director and producer whose work explores memory, femininity, and intercultural identity. An alumna of the Locarno Film Festival’s Documentary School (2023), she has over ten years of experience working across documentary and fiction. Her debut film, To My Dearest, was selected for the Visions du Réel 2026 pitching programme.
LAURA D’ANGELI
Director and educator, she trained in Bologna, Copenhagen, and at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Palermo, where she graduated in documentary directing. Her work has been presented at festivals including Nordisk Panorama, Bellaria Film Festival, and Sguardi Altrove, where she received the Staff Award. Her practice focuses on documentary cinema, family archives, and collective filmmaking practices.
LAVINIA XAUSA
Filmmaker and visual artist, she lives between Rotterdam and Venice. After earning a degree in Visual Arts from DAMS in Bologna, she moved to the Netherlands, where she completed a two-year programme at AKV St. Joost in Breda. Working across experimental cinema and video art, her films explore a sense of belonging through polyphonic narratives and participatory practices.
MICHELE SAMMARCO
Filmmaker and educator, he graduated in Directing from the Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti and holds degrees in Visual Arts and Performing Arts and Multimedia Production. Through his films, he explores the rural cultures of Veneto and Puglia, presenting his work at national and international festivals including Visions du Réel, Hot Docs, and DOK Leipzig. In 2025, he was selected for Berlinale Talents.
Laguna Film Lab is a film research and production programme based in Chioggia and the Venice Lagoon area, where observation, encounters, and filmmaking practices come together.
A project by ZaLab and Giornate degli Autori, made possible thanks to the support of the Otto per Mille of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai, in collaboration with Fondazione Clodiense ONLUS, Pro Loco Chioggia-Sottomarina, and the Municipality of Chioggia.