TalentScope 2026

TalentScope is the talent development programme for directors that the Netherlands Film Fund has been organising since 2024 in collaboration with FilmForward, ACE Producers, and TorinoFilmLab.

In 2026, three teams were selected for TalentScope:

Nobody Knows
Director/Screenplay: Jan Verdijk
Head of Development: Matthijs van der Veer (Lemming Film)
Producer: Julian Haisch (Lemming Film)
Logline: When ambitious civil servant Maud Wiesen (45) learns that the long-lost fragments of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch have surfaced in the Albanian underworld, she risks everything by organising a robbery to ensure that the pieces return to their rightful place.

Men Made Borders
Director: Marit Weerheijm
Screenplay: Jessie Tiemeijer
Producer: Laurette Schillings (Topkapi Films)
Logline: When a Dutch abortion ship arrives in the Polish town of Władysławowo, the lives of four women become intertwined. In their personal struggle for justice and autonomy, they are confronted with the same question: where do their borders lie, and what are they willing to risk to cross them?

Eternal Nearness
Director/Screenplay: Nicole Jachmann
Producer: Chris Stenger (Family Affair Films)
Logline: Kolya (17) is a curious teenager who wants nothing more than to discover the world, but his parents’ hidden trauma holds him back. Until he discovers their secret: his parents lost Kolya’s older sister Katya during their flight. He decides to go looking for her to recover what has been lost.

Programme overview
The programme lasts a year and consists of three one-week workshops and online sessions. The teams receive support and guidance from (inter)national experts from the network of FilmForward, TorinoFilmLab, and ACE Producers. They also work on their film script via individual and group sessions, and visit film festivals and markets.
May 4 – 8, 2026 | Week 1: Kick-off
The first week of TalentScope kicks off in Bergen with a workshop organised by TorinoFilmLab, ACE Producers, and FilmForward. The participating teams get the chance to get to know each other and each other’s projects. Rebecca Day (Film in Mind) will also visit for team development.
Throughout TalentScope, the teams are guided by script coach and producer Eilon Ratzkovsky (TorinoFilmLab).
June – September 2026 | Independent Script Development
During this period, the teams attend online sessions with script coach Eilon Ratzkovsky and Rebecca Day. The participants develop the treatment or screenplay of their projects independently and with their team, discuss them with the other teams and experts in the second week. The participants also attend a Hive Mind feedback session with filmmaker and illustrator Rogier Klomp.
October 12 – 16, 2026 | Week 2: Deep Dive
This week, the teams dive into the screenplay development of their project under the guidance of Eilon Ratzkovsky. They also start working on the positioning and audience design of the film. TorinoFilmLab invites an audience designer for a number of practical sessions. An industry expert will be invited too, and the teams attend pitch training.
November 2026 – January 2027 | Independent Script Development
During this period, the teams attend online sessions with Eilon Ratzkovsky and Rebecca Day while preparing for the Berlinale.
Week 3: Berlinale 2027
The final days of TalentScope take place at the Berlinale with Eilon Ratzkovsky. The festival offers many opportunities to expand the teams’ international network, visit the market, and watch an inspiring selection of films.

TalentScope 2026

Programme overview

Selected teams