The FRAME project officially kicked off in Bari on 16–17 December 2025 at the Apulia Film House. The meeting, organized by the lead partner Apulia Film Commission (AFC), brought together all project partners from Puglia, Molise, Albania, and Montenegro. The partnership, together with AFC, includes the Film Centre of Montenegro, the Albanian National Center of Cinematography, and the Molise Cultura Foundation. The meeting was also attended by the associated partners, namely the Puglia Region – Department of Tourism, Economy of Culture and Valorisation of Territory, the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro, and the Molise Region.
FRAME aims to strengthen the sustainability, cooperation, and international competitiveness of audiovisual SMEs across the South Adriatic area, addressing structural challenges such as market fragmentation, limited access to international networks, and the difficulty of progressing from development to production. To respond to these needs, the project promotes an integrated cross-border approach combining the mapping of audiovisual SMEs, the creation of a South Adriatic network, international B2B and pitching activities, an itinerant screenwriting workshop for emerging talents, and the establishment of a trilateral co-development film fund.
During the meeting, partners defined the project’s operational framework and shared key strategic orientations. In particular, internal operational working groups were established, organisational and coordination aspects were clarified, and upcoming project meetings were scheduled. Partners also aligned on the management and communication activities to be implemented in the coming months. Dedicated sessions focused on the organisation of the itinerant screenwriting workshop, which will nurture the skills of 10 emerging screenwriters from the South Adriatic region, as well as on the structure and objectives of the co-development film fund.
The co-development film fund represents one of FRAME’s most innovative and strategic outputs. Conceived as a long-lasting instrument beyond the project’s lifetime, the fund will support at least eight joint audiovisual projects, each involving at least one Italian and one IPA partner. Partners underlined its strong capitalization value, as this is the first trilateral co-development fund of its kind in the South Adriatic area, directly addressing long-standing financial barriers and fostering structured cross-border collaboration.
FRAME builds on the solid legacy of the CIRCE project, led by AFC and recognised as a Flagship Project by the Italian Territorial Cohesion Agency, and on the capitalization results of CIRCE PLUS, both implemented under the Interreg IPA CBC Italy–Albania–Montenegro 2014–2020 Programme.
The CIRCE partnership endorsed FRAME, with three former partners joining as project partners and one as associated partners. Key lessons learned from CIRCE, particularly the importance of stable cross-border cooperation and dedicated financial tools for the audiovisual sector, directly informed the design of the trilateral co-development film fund. The project also capitalises on the Memorandum of Understanding established under CIRCE, expanding and strengthening existing networks to enhance SMEs’ capacity and international competitiveness.
In addition, FRAME leverages the professional community built through CIRCE PLUS, particularly through B2B meetings and workshops. The partnership will capitalise on the experience gained with the CIRCE PLUS, by organising similar networking initiatives within FRAME. These activities will play a crucial role in supporting the pitching and partnership phases of the co-development fund, ensuring continuity and expansion of cross-regional collaboration across the Programme area.
The two-day kick-off meeting proved highly productive, enabling partners to align on objectives, activities, expected results, and implementation steps, while laying the foundations for effective cooperation in the months ahead. Overall, FRAME represents a concrete step toward consolidating a shared South Adriatic audiovisual ecosystem, generating long-term benefits for SMEs, professionals, and local communities, and contributing to the development of a more innovative, resilient, and internationally competitive film industry.
The strategic value of the project was also highlighted by Claudio Polignano, Managing Authority of the Interreg IPA South Adriatic Programme, who stated:
“FRAME represents an important step in strengthening cultural cooperation in the South Adriatic. Through this project, we aim to create new opportunities for professionals and young talents, support shared productions, and foster a more competitive and international audiovisual ecosystem. Cinema is an extraordinary tool for telling the story of territories, their culture, and their traditions: it helps enhance their value, make them recognizable, and bring different audiences closer through authentic stories and creative visions. Working together with Montenegro and Albania means broadening perspectives, sharing cultural heritage, and building a cross-border value chain capable of generating new development opportunities for the entire territory.”