About - First Cut Lab

Katja Adomeit, Benjamin Mirguet & Giona A. Nazzaro during First Cut Lab Ukraine

About us

First Cut Lab is a comprehensive training & consultancy programme supporting audiovisual professionals in Europe and worldwide, and their feature films at the editing stage. Created in 2015, First Cut Lab is run by Tatino Films – a company that also initiated the Full Circle Lab and the Pop Up Film Residency.

200 films from 50 countries have so far benefited from First Cut Lab. In 2020, we launched the First Cut+ programme to offer promotional & marketing consultancy to a portfolio of 16 films per year.

By providing a creative framework of exchanges that is simultaneously safe and challenging, First Cut Lab aims at enhancing the artistic achievement of the films, and at the same time at fostering their potential of international circulation. Participants receive expert advise from editor consultants and industry advisors chosen according to the specific needs of each film.

107 Mothers, by Peter Kerekes (2021)

Jacques Comets during First Cut Lab Istanbul

Team

First Cut Lab was founded by its current director Matthieu Darras, together with Alessandro Gropplero and editor consultant Benjamin Mirguet. Julie Marnay works as program manager, whereas Naomi Levari and Wim Vanacker are involved as editorial consultants.

Regular editor consultants include Catalin Cristutiu, Jacques Comets, Agnieszka Glinska, Maya Maffioli, Sebastian Sepulveda, Matthieu Taponier, and Sebastian Winkels. Natalia Libet is in charge of First Cut+, working with a pool of promotion experts such as Michael Arnon, Christina Pelekani, or Joanna Solecka. About 250 industry advisors have provided feedbacks on rough cut materials, usually producers, sales agents, and festival representatives.
The full list here!