Understanding how projects move from development to audiences has become one of the most important skills for today’s producers. Market Ready, the International Screen Institute‘s training programme for producers, filmmakers and industry professionals, offers practical insight into the realities of festivals, markets, financing, sales, distribution and audience strategy.
Led by award-winning producer and acquisitions executive Lena Vurma, the programme combines industry expertise with hands-on project work, helping participants better understand how projects are positioned within an increasingly competitive international landscape. Drawing on her experience across production, acquisitions and exhibition, Vurma offers participants a rare opportunity to learn from someone who evaluates projects from multiple perspectives within the industry.
Market Ready takes place in Vienna from 19–23 October 2026. Applications are open until 22 June 2026. Check out the Financial Support Guide of the International Screen Institute to learn about their extensive scholarship-opportunities!:
- You work as both an award-winning producer and Head of Acquisitions at Filmwelt, giving you a unique perspective on how projects move through the industry. How does that experience shape the way you approach Market Ready?
I think now more than ever it is critical to have a wider understanding of the film landscape and its market. With my experience as a producer, buyer, filmmaker and exhibitor I am covering almost all aspects of a film’s life and I’m forced to look at projects from different perspectives. This is one of the goals I have for our upcoming participants at Market Ready – to understand the life cycle of a film much better and to learn how to place it within the current industry.
- Many producers spend years developing projects but have less exposure to the realities of markets, sales and distribution. What are some of the biggest challenges participants bring to Market Ready, and how does the programme help them address them?
I’ve been a mentor at Market Ready twice before now leading the course as Programme Director. The projects of our participants range from early development where it is more about learning how, to whom and when to pitch it to potential partners like sales, distributors, broadcasters, co-producers/ financiers – others are already further down the line but are unsure about their festival/ distribution strategy. We aim to cover a broad range of topics with fantastic guest speakers including financing case studies, a demystifying markets and festivals session, understanding audience design and much more.
- Market Ready is built around participants working on their own projects. What kind of transformation do you typically see over the course of the programme, both in the projects themselves and in the producers behind them?
It’s fantastic to see how the confidence grows in each participant to present their projects between day 1 and the end of our week together in Vienna. The sessions also either give new insights or refresh knowledge and connect the participants not only with their mentors, but also the speakers and the other producers in the workshop. To be part of a wider international network gives participants also valuable connections for future projects. As a buyer, I myself have acquired a film from one of the past participants…
- The programme covers everything from pitching and audience positioning to financing, rights management and distribution strategy. Why is it so important for producers to understand the entire value chain of a project today?
I just invited Jeany Finlay for an online case study about her creative distribution approach for her documentary Your Fat Friend to kick-off Market Ready 2026. It provided an incredible insight into how much a filmmaker can influence the trajectory of his/her own film by knowing (and trying out) different ways of filmmaking and distribution – sometimes thinking outside the box of traditional ways. One of the big examples currently is of course Obsession breaking box office records without being a studio film. To learn from others, to look beyond your own filmmaking bubble and to understand the current market will propel your project and yourself forward.
- Applications for the 2026 edition are currently open. Who is Market Ready designed for, and what would you say to producers or filmmakers who are considering applying?
Market Ready caters to both early career producers/filmmakers and to the already more experienced participants who have produced their first feature films, but would like to learn more about “what’s out there”:
If you’re curious about the international landscape of financing and release strategies or tackling a topic you want to get more versed in, for example equity or looking beyond A list festivals, join us for Market Ready this October in Vienna.
