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On 23 September CED MEDIA Torino dedicated a whole working day to Eu- ropean training for sector professionals with the programmatic title: “Allenati con MEDIA!” – Train with MEDIA! “If an athlete doesn’t train” explained Silvia Sandrone, the head of CED MEDIA Torino at the opening, “he or she will lose the competition; the same goes for the production world where things change very rapidly. Think about a script-writer who has to contend with new languages, new trends, establish creative collaborations, new methods of diffusion. Training becomes an essential tool for acquiring new skills and becoming more competitive”.

The training of professionals has always been a priority for the MEDIA Program and continues to be so with Europa Creativa which, with a dedicated call, every year ring-fences around € 7.5 M. The goal: to provide the tools to become more competitive and innovative in an industry that is in continual and rapid evolution.

At the last call 51 training activities were selected focusing on a number of different areas (developing the public, marketing, new models of distribution and maximization; financial and commercial management) aimed at professionals from all over Europe including producers, directors, scriptwriters, script editors, commissioning editors, distributors, exhibitors, sales agents, content providers, animation industry and post-production professionals, and supervisors.
The activities consisted of residential workshops, online training as well as professional and networking events.

At “Allenati con MEDIA” the focus was on four training activities based on Italian initiatives: Maia Workshops aimed at up-and-coming European producers; Torino Film Lab, a 360 degree laboratory (from training to distribution) directed towards emerging talents from all over the world; EsoDoc which was born inside the ZELIG school in Bolzano in order to satisfy the communication requirements of NGOs (it is not only directed towards filmmakers but also journalists and “cross-thinking” operators), and Ties That Bind, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund’s training program directed towards projects in Europe and the Far East.
The “alumni” testimonials were significant – young producers who started in the profession with a MEDIA training course.
The participants were Emanuela Barbano of Duel Film, Enrica Capra of GraffitiDoc, Daniele Segre of Redibis Film and Enrica Viola of Una Film.
They all identified in the imprinting of the various courses attended the opportunities for exchange, the sharing of projects and the value of team work.
More specifically, some crucial aspects emerged: the courses give access to high level professionals who would not otherwise be necessarily accessible in other contexts; there is a strong link between training and development: the film projects developed within the sphere of the MEDIA training activities have a greater chance of being produced and circulating beyond national borders compared to other projects.
Moreover training strengthens the European dimension thanks  to the topics covered, the tutors and the experts. This helps the participants develop a cross-border approach and long-term co-production relationships, thus contributing to a truly European theatrical culture.