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Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Cattolica International

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Programme
 
  • Screenwriting theory (8 ECTS)
  • Script analysis and project evaluation (8 ECTS)
  • Writing techniques for audiovisual products: (12 ECTS)
    • Screenwriting practice: treatments, scenes and dialogues, scripts, pitches
    • The writing of genres and adaptation.
      Writing for different formats: comic books, novels, documentaries, entertainment TV shows, advertising, the web, mobile media, and transmedia projects
    • Screenwriting and production of animation projects
  • The audiovisual industry: (4 ECTS)
    • Industries and audiences
    • TV acquisition and programming and film distribution
    • The physical production: pre-production, shooting, post-production, contracts and budgeting
  • Communication ethics (4 ECTS)
  • Workshop and practical exercises (8 ECTS)
  • Final project (16 ECTS)


Internship and final Project

Three months before the end of classes, participants in the MISP will choose one of the two following career tracks: screenwriting or production, and invest their time after the end of the classes on their final project or on their internship.

MISP students who choose the screenwriting career will present a script for a feature film or a TV pilot, which can be either an original idea or an adaptation. This script can be written in English, Italian, French or Spanish.

MISP students who will choose the production track will undertake an internship on a film/TV series shooting (or also, if possible, within an established production or distribution company, a TV network or an advertising agency).

For foreign students who do not speak Italian, it can be difficult/impossible to begin an internship for the production track in Italy: in this case either they have to find and internship in their own country or they have to choose the writing track, and deliver a script as their final work.

For a good number of the students who will choose the screenwriting path, at the end of their final projects there will also be the possibility of doing an internship in some production company or network or writers room. This internship cannot be guaranteed in advance for everyone, as it will always depend on the acceptance of the candidate by the employer.
 

Director
Armando Fumagalli, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
 

Scientific Committee
Luca Bernabei, Ceo Lux Vide
Paolo Braga, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Arturo Cattaneo, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Armando Fumagalli, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Luca Manzi, Screenwriter and creative producer

Tutor
Eleonora Recalcati, story editor and screenwriter
Annalisa Gandossi, scritp consultant (Sky Originals Italy)


Teachers and  tutors of the final projects
Marco Alessi, screenwriter (Elisa di Rivombrosa, Rino Gaetano, Immaturi) and producer (Tahrir, Atlantide, Disco Boy)
Robert Amidon, executive producer, Atlas Entertainment (Triple Frontier, What/If)
Francesco Arlanch, screenwriter (Anna Karenina, Doc – Nelle tue mani, Blanca).
Renata Avidano, story editor and screenwriter (La strana coppia, Cosi fan tutte, Before Pintus).
Francesco Balletta, screenwriter (Distretto di polizia, Ris, Alfredino)
Deborah Belford de Furia, script consultant Colorado, Hollywood Gang, Medusa, 
Adam Bernstein, Tv director, Emmy winner (30 Rock, Fargo, Breaking Bad)
Paolo Braga, professor Università Cattolica and screenwriter  (Jules Verne)
Andrea Brusa, writer and director (Magic Alps, Inverno, Le voci sole)
Elena Bucaccio, head of Tv drama, Lux vide and screenwriter (Che Dio ci aiuti, Buongiorno mamma!)
Bobette Buster, script consultant, Los Angeles, and professor at NorthEastern University, Boston, Pixar Animation Studios, etc.
Gianfranco Cordara, Digital Supply Chain Consultant, Crunchyroll, Los Angeles.
Lucia Cereda, head of development, Medusa.
Laura Cotta Ramosino,  TV series development executive, Cattleya (Nero a metà, Tutto può succedere, Circeo)
Luisa Cotta Ramosino, Director, Original Series, Netflix Italy
Craig Detweiler, professor at Gran Canyon University (Phoenix) and documentary director
Jennifer Dornbush, screenwriter and author, Los Angeles
Ryan Dornbush, VP and Director, Operations and HR, Alcon Entertainment, Los Angeles
Armando Fumagalli, professor, Università Cattolica, script consultant for Lux vide.
Jordi Gasull, screenwriter and producer, Madrid (Lope, Tadeo Jones, Atrapa la bandera /Capture the Flag, Mummies).
Giorgio Grignaffini, General Manager Taodue
Nadia Grippiolo, producer (Alex & Co., Come diventare grandi nonostante I genitori, Marta e Eva)
Steve Kaplan, script consultant and founder HBO New Writing Program
Francesca Longardi, producer Cattleya (Io non ho paura, Benvenuti al Sud, Summertime, Petra)
Luca Manzi, screenwriter and creative producer (Don Matteo, Boris)
Emanuele Marchesi, head of development, Sky Originals Italy
Jeff Melvoin, showrunner (Northern Exposure, Alias, Designated Survivor, Killing Eve)
Carlo Micciché, Director, Osservatorio Editoriale, Mediaset
Erica Negri, Head of Commissioning, Scripted Production, Sky Originals, Italy.
Gennaro Nunziante, screenwriter and director (Sole a catinelle, Quo vado, Il vegetale, Belli ciao)
Paolo Paggetta, Coordinator Pay and Svod Department, Mediaset
Alberto Pasquale, Director Umbria Film Commission, Film Business University Lecturer
Mara Perbellini, screenwriter (La vita che corre, Penny on MARS, Marta e Eva)
Erminio Perocco, copywriter (commercials Telecom, Lavazza) and advertising director (Crodino).
Miranda Pisione, screenwriter and lecturer
Valentina Pozzoli, head of development, Onza Partners, Madrid
Eleonora Recalcati, story editor and screenwriter (Che Dio ci aiuti, Maggie e Bianca Fashion Friends, Marta e Eva)
Mario Ruggeri, screenwriter (Don Matteo, Un passo dal cielo, Devils)
Maurizio Sangalli, screenwriter (Love Bugs, Il mammo, Casa e bottega).
Paolo Sigismondi, professor Global Entertainment, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Lea Tafuri, screenwriter (Coco Chanel, Chiara Lubich, Alda Merini)
John Truby, head of Truby Writers Studio, Los Angeles
Andrea Valagussa, screenwriter (Distretto di polizia, La strada di casa, Fino all’ultimo battito)
Gaia Violo, Screenwriter (Blood & Treasure, Star Trek), and creator (Absentia, In From the Cold), Los Angeles
Nicholas Weinstock, producer Invention Films (Severance, Escape at Dannemora, Thelma)
John Williams, Cinema writer and director, professor at Sophia University, Tokyo
Fabrizio Zappi, Director, Rai Documentari

Special lecturers

Eleonora Andreatta, Vice President, Original Content, Netflix Italy
Giorgio Assumma, Lawyer, President Fondazione Perseus
Pierdomenico Baccalario, author and founder, Book on a Tree
Luca Barbareschi, actor, producer and director (Adriano Olivetti, Something Good, J’Accuse)
Luca Bernabei, Ceo Lux Vide (War and Peace, Medici, Masters of Florence, Doc, Leonardo)
Massimo Bruno, Director DeAKids Channels
Valentina Cambi, Freelance Writer and Editorial Coordinator (Disney Publishing, Rai-Eri, Piemme, etc.)
Alessandro D’Avenia, novelist and screenwriter (Bianca come il latte rossa come il sangue, Ciò che inferno non è, L’arte di essere fragili).
Paolo Del Brocco, ceo RaiCinema
Ilaria Gomarasca, head of First Cut +, Film Festival Consultant, Paris
Giulia Ichino, publishing editor Bompiani, Giunti Publishing Group
Silvia Martinoli, author Disney publishing and journalist for Topolino
Jaime Ondarza, ceo Fremantle Southern Europe and Israel
Carlotta Quattrocolo, Executive Editor, Global Magazines, Disney
Maria Rodriguez Rabadan, Universidad Carlos III, Madrid
Marilena Rossi, director of Italian fiction, Mondadori
Paola Ruggeri, International Tv Marketing Analyst, Mediaset
Andrea Scrosati, ceo Fremantle Europe
Antonio Stefanucci, line producer (La piovra, Ris, Volare, Ognuno è perfetto)
Alessandro Usai, Ceo Colorado Film
David Zannoni, Zannoni Media Consulting, Mexico
Michele Zatta, producer Raifiction (Mare fuori, Il cacciatore)

 
Teachers of the animation workshop

Alfio Bastiancich, head of animation, Showlab.
Andrea Bozzetto, director (Topo Tip)
Robin Lyons, screenwriter and producer, Calon, Cardiff - UK (Hana’s Helpline, YoYo)
Luca Milano, Director, Rai Kids
Evelina Poggi, producer, Lynx Multimedia Factory
Margherita Premuroso, animator and director, Milan and London
Silvia Rigotto, executive producer, script consultant and agent (Rigotz Stories)
Giorgio Scorza, producer and director  (Strappare lungo I bordi)
Maurizia Sereni, head of development Movimenti

Teachers of the workshop “Writing the musical”
Philip LaZebnik, Screenwriter (Mulan, Pocahontas, The Prince of Egypt)
Pippa Cleary, author and musician, London ((The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, The Great British Bake Off Musical)
Ronald Kruschak, screenwriter and producer, Germany (Snow White and Me, A Little Peace) 

Due to Covid restrictions or difficulties for teachers to travel, some of the classes could be held on line. The aim of the direction of the course is to have as many classes as possible in presence. But in spite of this a total of 5% to 10% of classes on line could reasonably be expected.
 

 
FRANCESCO ARLANCH, Screenwriter (class of 2000)
Author of more than twenty TV miniseries for RAI (National Italian Broadcaster), most of them among the top rating shows of the year. Author also of many episodes of top-rating TV series, two feature films, and some animation series. A good number of them have been broadcasted in many countries of the world (eg. John Paul II, starring Jon Voight, coproduction with CBS, Anna Karenina, Sant'Agostino, etc.). 
He is among the authors of the second and third season of Medici. Masters of Florence, coproduction between Rai and Netflix, and co-head writer of two other big International successes of recent years: Doc – Nelle tue mani and Blanca.
“Years ago, I attended this Master’s Program as a pastime activity (at that time it only lasted a few months). Today I make a living from what I learned in those few months and I’ve fulfilled a dream that before I didn’t even dare to nurture: to write for the screen. This master programme can change your life."
EMANUELA CANONICO, Screenwriter (class of 2005)
Screenwriter and headwriter for several Tv series, both for kids and grown-ups, such as Talent High School, Che Dio ci aiuti, Don Matteo, Rex 5, Maggie e Bianca fashion friends, Nudes. She is also the main writer of the cinema franchise for kids Me contro Te, top grossing Italian movies of 2020 and 2021.
“This master programme was crucial to put my writer’s toolbox in order. We cannot take for granted that we will always have the right tool to work a blank page out”.
ALESSANDRO D’AVENIA, Writer (class of 2007)
His first novel (Bianca come il latte rossa come il sangue, 2010), has sold more than one million copies in Italy, has been  published in more than 20 countries, and has been adapted into a feature film. His following books (Cose che nessuno sa, Ciò che inferno non è, L’arte di essere fragili, Ogni storia è una storia d’amore, L’appello, Resisti cuore) have been similarly in the best seller list of their year and three of them have become theatre plays. He writes a weekly column in the main Italian newspaper, Il Corriere della sera.
“I write to know how it is going to end”.
MARIACHIARA OLTOLINI, Animation screenwriter (class of 2013)
Mariachiara works as story editor and screenwriter for different companies, like Calon TV - a Cardiff-based animation production company that works for BBC, ARD, RAI, among others-, Enanomation (The Sound Collector, Nina & Olga), Mondo TV (Grisù) and Atlantyca (Berry Bees). She has also published a book: MP3: Sulle ruote me la rido, San Paolo.
“This master programme has played a major role in my professional training. It did not only teach me the craft of writing, but also taught me a working method founded on collaboration and teamwork. It wasn’t only a training program, but a valuable opportunity for growth. And for that, I am deeply grateful.”
EDOARDO GINO, Creative producer for Lux Vide (class of 2015)
Edoardo Gino is currently working in Lux vide, as creative producer for TV series (Un passo dal cielo, Devils, Doc - Nelle tue mani and others)
“I entered the MISP master programme with two things: a passion for writing, and the dream to make a living out of it. Just a few months after the end of the programme, my dream had become a concrete reality. You need your 3% of talent on your own, but if you want to learn the 97% of technique and persistence that you need to write a great story, then MISP is your place to be.”

AMANDA DEVINE, writer (class of 2017)

With a degree in Comparative Literature from Princeton University, she attended the MISP in 2016-2017. She has written on two seasons of the Disney Channel series Penny on MARS, with MISP alumna and professor Mara Perbellini. 
Currently she works as a Tv writer and development executive at Novo Media, a Los Angeles-based development and production company (A Tale Dark & Grimm, for Netflix).
“The master programme gave me a firm foundation in story structure and character development, which is critical no matter where you end up in the entertainment field”.

CLAUDIA MUNARIN, Story editor (class of 2019)

While completing the master programme, Claudia started an internship in Rome at Cattleya, one of the most important Italian production companies, becoming story editor and working on the shooting set of a Tv series for Rai Uno. Today she works in Milan, at Sky Italia, in the development of Sky Originals Tv Series.
"I have always been passionate about cinema and TV series and I decided to take part in the MISP programme because I wanted to find out if this passion could also become a profession. And so it did. After loving the what, I learned to love the how."
Clara Dufay (class of 2023)
After completing a degree in Political Science in Paris, Clara attended MISP 2022-2023 as an international student. She is currently a development assistant intern at Federation Studios, an international TV studio based in Paris. She is also working as a writing coordinator for an upcoming French TV show for the European channel ARTE.  
"MISP gave me a chance to finally follow my passion. Thanks to this program, I was able to confidently take my first steps into the industry with a strong foundation in screenwriting and story editing and a good knowledge of the International entertainment field. But most of all, I had the opportunity to meet many inspiring professionals and classmates from all over the world." 
The Master in International Screenwriting and Production was born with two post-graduate courses in Tecniche di scrittura per la fiction (2000 and 2001), that became a Master Universitario di I livello in 2002-2003. The Master has been running every other year (2004-2005, 2006-2007, etc. until 2014-2015) with the name of Scrittura e produzione per la fiction e il cinema. Since 2016-2017 it has been taught completely in English and it has the MISP name.
 

The alumni of the MISP have been writers, story editors, creative producers and in some cases directors of more than 2.000 hours of feature films and/or prime time Televisions and/or Tv series broadcasted in the main International platforms like Netflix, Amazon, DisneyPlus, etc.

They have been working, among many other achievements:

  • As head writers for Don Matteo (from season 4 onwards), for Distretto di polizia 6, 7, 8, 9, for all the seasons of Ho sposato uno sbirro, Un passo dal cielo, Che Dio ci aiuti, La strada di casa, Non dirlo al mio capo, Buongiorno mamma!, Viola come il mare, Per Elisa, I fantastici 5, Made in Italy, Doc - nelle tue mani, Blanca (all top rating series for prime time of RaiUno and Canale 5) and series for Sky, Netflix, Amazon like Christian, Un amore, Summertime, Sono Lillo, Odio il Natale, Costiera; for animation series like  Angel’s Friends, Virus Attack, Cuccioli cerca amici, Jules Verne; for the teen series Talent High School, Maggie and Bianca fashion friends, Nudes, PoV, Penny on MARS, Marta & Eva, Sfidiamoci.
     
  • As screenwriters, they have written episodes of successful TV series broadcasted in Rai, Mediaset, Sky Amazon Prime, Netflix, HBO Max such as (besides the TV series above) Medici Masters of Florence (starring Dustin Hoffman and Richard Madden), Il Commissario Rex, Elisa di Rivombrosa, Incantesimo, Nati ieri, Ris, Le stagioni del cuore, La squadra, Ritorno a Rivombrosa, Le tre rose di Eva, Tutto può succedere, Il processo, Tutta colpa di Freud, Gomorra, Home Sweet Rome, Blackout  and  miniseries like Giovanni Paolo II, San Pietro, La signora delle camelie, Pompei, Chiara e Francesco, La terza verità, Rino Gaetano, Paolo VI, Il mistero del lago, L’uomo che cavalcava nel buio, Davide Copperfield, Sant’Agostino, Sotto il cielo di Roma, Santa Barbara, Anna Karenina, Sotto copertura, Chiara Lubich, Alfredino, many animation series (Hana’s Helpline, Igam Ogam, YoYo, Grisù, Berry Bees, The Sound Collector, Topo Gigio, etc.), some sit-coms for Rai Educational (Tracy e Polpetta, Lab Story), for Disney Channel (Quelli dell’intervallo, Life Bites) and for Mediaset (Camera Café). 
     
  • As story editors or creative producers, they have had credits on international series and miniseries like, Leonardo (starring Aidan Turner and Matilda De Angelis), Augusto (starring Peter O’Toole and Charlotte Rampling), Coco Chanel (nominated to the Emmy, starring Shirley MacLaine), Callas e Onassis, Don Bosco, Edda Ciano, Maria Goretti, Papa Giovanni, Rita da Cascia. Soraya, Le ragazze di San Frediano, La freccia nera, Sissi, Enrico Mattei, Pinocchio, Cinderella, War and Peace; and in TV series like Devils (starring Patrick Dempsey and Alessandro Borghi), I Cesaroni, La compagnia del cigno, Alex & co., Petra, I delitti del BarLume, Strappare lungo i bordi, Un’estate fa, Call My Agent - Italia and many others. 

 
For cinema, they have been working as screenwriters for Una famiglia perfetta, Something Good, Bianca come il latte rossa come il sangue, Italiano medio, The Start-Up, Chiamatemi Francesco, Ride, Padrenostro, Solo cose belle, Con chi viaggi, Pensati Sexy, Il legionario, and many others.

Short films written, directed and/or produced by Misp’s alumni have been winning awards all over the world, including Emmy Student Award, Venice Film Festival and David di Donatello.

Other alumni have been working on advertising or as theatre play authors or as production assistants, or assistant directors in many films or TV series. 

Others have been working as authors for comics (Disney Publishing, ReNoir, Manga Vibe), or in tv channels or networks (Italia 1, Rete 4, Canale 5, Sky Cinema, Lei tv, Discovery), or in production or distribution companies or in specialized press (Best Movie, Box office) or publishing companies (Mondadori, Rizzoli, Il Castoro).

In the area of novels, the alumni of MISP have been authors, among others, of international best-sellers like Bianca come il latte rossa come il sangue, published in around twenty countries; and some series of novels for young girls like Leila blue and Aria (both series for Mondadori), which have been also published in many countries. Only in 2022 and 2023 around twenty novels have been published by our alumni, with some of the top Italian publishing companies like De Agostini, Mondadori, Piemme, Rizzoli, etc.

Graduates from the MISP are exposed to a wide range of career opportunities. Graduates have both the theoretical knowledge and the methodological tools suited to pursue professional and managerial careers as:
  • Screenwriters or creative producers of television series and feature films;
  • Authors of TV entertainment programs and documentaries, copywriters, creators of video games and web series, writers of comic books and novels and fiction editors in publishing companies;
  • Story editors and script consultants;
  • Supervisors of evaluation, acquisition and programming of TV shows;
  • Professionals working in different areas of the television and film industry (physical production, distribution, acquisition, product placement, etc.)
Classes begin in September 24th, 2024 and end by May 2025.

Classes are scheduled from Tuesday to Friday, 4 days a week on campus (10.00 AM - 5.30 PM). A break of 3 weeks will be scheduled during Christmas time.

Attendance is mandatory. In order to graduate, a minimum of 90% attendance is required.

The graduation is expected at the end of November 2025.

If you are looking for a flexible and autonomous solution to learn Italian while studying at Università Cattolica, you can access the self-learning linguistic lab (CAP) of the SeLdA (Servizio Linguistico d’Ateneo) and benefit from a personalized language advisory service. 


In addition, SELDA organizes fee-paying Italian language courses, for more information contact SELDA.