NewFilmmakers Los Angeles is expanding its partnership with Italy’s Apulia Film Commission on InFocus: Puglia, a showcase of new short films hailing from the country’s southern Puglia region.
NFMLA, which is an arts and culture nonprofit organization that works year-round to highlight independent artists, is set to host the Italian event in L.A. during its April Monthly Film Festival that showcases innovative cinematic works from rising filmmakers for the public and industry professionals.
NFMLA, following their inaugural 2024 collaboration, has now inked a newly expanded three-year strategic partnership with the Apulia Film Commission and the Puglia region that aims “to deepen artistic exchange and strengthen production ties between Southern Italy and Los Angeles,” according to a statement.
“The long term 2026-2028 partnership formalizes reciprocal industry missions, coordinated artistic collaboration, joint marketing efforts and shared best practices between the Apulia Film Commission and NFMLA,” the statement said. “What began in 2024 as a weeklong cultural exchange has now evolved into a sustained, multi-year bridge designed to elevate Apulian filmmakers within the global marketplace while strengthening creative and production ties between Italy and California.”
The InFocus: Puglia project was initiated by Los Angeles-based Italian journalist Silvia Bizio who, together with NFMLA executive director Larry Laboe and programming director Bojana Sandic, is in charge of its artistic direction. Simone Di Cori serves as its Italian producer, while Lauren Muniz, George Gomez and Daphne Trinh at NFMLA lead efforts related to engagement, education and professional development in Los Angeles. Anna Maria Tosto and Antonio Parente, president and director of the Apulia Film Commission, respectively, are also backers of the project.
The 2026 selection of InFocus: Puglia shorts span genres ranging from intimate character studies to explorations of identity and generational change, highlighting “both the cinematic voices emerging from Puglia and the extraordinary diversity of landscapes that have made the region one of Europe’s most sought-after production destinations,” according to the statement.
Hollywood movies shot in Puglia include “No Time to Die,” “Six Underground” and “Wonder Woman.”
The 2026 InFocus: Puglia lineup features “Il generale” directed by Nicolò Accettura; “Nonna Rivoltella” (pictured above) directed by Mario Bucci; “La Fémmina” directed by Simona De Simone (aka Nuanda Sheridan); “Lo so” directed by Alessandra Mangia; and two short films by Roberta Martinelli, “Facciamo che siamo marito e moglie” and “Di notte.”
