Director Niccolò Salvato and producer Mara Cracaleanu belong to the youngest generation of filmmakers. Both based in London, they have each already worked on successful projects, including two short films and a feature which they worked on together. The most recent project, which they brought to the East Doc Platform 2025, is their latest collaboration and was awarded the prestigious Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award 2025. We have interviewed the filmmakers to bring you a better insight into the winning project.
About the project: The lives of three young inmates interweave as they strive to rebuild their lives, grappling with guilt and societal misconceptions. From the Czech Republic to Italy and Romania, the protagonists gain exclusive access to a rehabilitation program that allows them to travel from prison to work each day, existing in a limbo between incarceration and the outside world. The series is character-driven, with each episode exploring a core theme of reintegration. Parental relationships serve as a narrative thread, anchoring the dramatic reconnection of the young inmates with society. Each story highlights the duality of their lives, with the mystery of their crimes gradually unfolding through suspenseful cliffhangers at the end of each episode. The justice system provides a backdrop, revealing the varied approaches across countries and sparking a broader discussion about second chances. These extraordinary life stories are examined through a human, intimate, and subjective lens, capturing the inmates’ struggles and aspirations as they attempt to build a new life. As we delve deeper into their journeys, one question emerges: can a life be rebuilt while another has been taken?
The documentary series NEAR LIGHT - Second Lives of Murderers started as a proof of concept developed in the final year at the University of Westminster, where Niccolò and Mara were both studying. They first focused on a story in the director’s hometown, Milan.
Niccolò Salvato:
I knew the prison system through my father, who worked – and still sometimes works – inside prison facilities as a professor. Mattia, the inmate we followed in the proof of concept, was one of his students.
Of course, you need to start somewhere in this environment. It's very complicated to approach as an outsider. That really gave us a good entry point, but we still had to carve our way through the system. Opera in Milan is one of the largest high-security prisons in Europe, so they're of course selective and very careful about who they let in and initially we struggled with getting access. We appreciate the support and help they have given us all the more.
I've always felt personally connected to this system, not only because of my father, but – more importantly – because I was extremely fascinated by this world. It's a world that other people often see through a very different lens, but I always found it deeply human, a place where social barriers are completely shattered.
That’s why I felt that’s where you can find real human connection – where you understand that, beyond every social hierarchy, there’s a human being. Even though they’re often only portrayed in cinema through stereotypes. And that’s where the project started: from the idea that if you break the stereotype, if you break the bias, you can actually see someone who wants to live a new life.
That’s where the big question comes in, which I don’t answer, not even for myself, because I’m not the person to answer it. ‘Is there space for rehabilitation?’ I find it extremely important to at least acknowledge that question and reflect on it.
NEAR LIGHT - Second Lives of Murderers (author's archive)
The development journey of the series NEAR LIGHT - Second Lives of Murderers under the guidance of the EXO tutors did, however, not begin with the East Doc Platform 2025, as the team was also selected as participants in the Ex Oriente 2024 workshop which took place throughout the whole year at three different locations: Sunny Side of the Doc, DOK Leipzig and the East Doc Platform.
Mara Cracaleanu:
We were extremely happy to be selected for Ex Oriente. Before that, we pitched the project at the MIA Market in Rome – and back then, it was a completely different project. Ex Oriente helped us shape the project, and it took a completely new direction – going international, going broader, expanding into European countries.
All these sessions we took part in helped us both creatively and on the production side. We had the chance to work with different mentors throughout all three sessions, since some mentors were new in each of them, and we had the opportunity to expand our knowledge about the different territories. In France at Sunny Side, we learned about the French market, and then at DOK Leipzig, we understood more about the German side, which is very useful for us.
Niccolò Salvato:
From a creative point of view, it was groundbreaking. It wasn't just the expertise of the tutors – although people like Chris Westendorp, for example, helped a lot with shaping the structure – but also the combination of the workshops and the one-on-one meetings that really helped us understand the film’s progress. That kind of growth isn’t something we experienced in other workshops or industry events. There was this clear understanding and support for us as filmmakers, not just for the project itself and at the same time, they did challenge it – in a good way. So you always had both perspectives to consider, and in the end, they left it to us to choose which path to take.
That’s why I think it really helped us maintain our creative vision, while also opening us up to other options.
The Ex Oriente workshop was concluded with the East Doc Platform in March 2025. What was your experience with that and what impact did it have on your project, creatively or strategically?
Mara Cracaleanu:
I loved that we had the chance to connect with people from the UK and Ireland. It was great to build connections with that side of the industry. The meeting with HBO was one of the most important ones we had there, and we really appreciated the advice and information we received. I had wanted to present this project to HBO for a long time, so this was the perfect opportunity. In addition, meeting with our co-producer and discussing the project further was very valuable.
As winners of the Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award 2025, the team received financial support in the amount of 50,000€ which is intended to foster creative collaborations in series co-production and empower independent producers. I asked Niccolò and Mara about their experience receiving this recognition, and what it means for their project.
Niccolò Salvato:
I'll talk about the psychological aspect. It's important to note that the Council of Europe is the main of in total two organizations that connect the different justice systems in Europe. They therefore have a different insight into this reality, and I was glad that they really saw the vision and understood it. The reintegration programs are different in every European country, so they are trying to connect the dots through human rights and see what is the best fit for each nation. At the same time, they're trying to create a real European network between these countries. It’s essential for me that such a great organization, with a focus on this topic specifically, recognized the project for this award. When we discussed it in person, it felt like they were really getting it. They understood that this is the right time to talk about these stories. So, it is really exciting.
Mara Cracaleanu:
From a producer’s point of view, it is incredible to receive something like that. I would have never expected it. As you said, we’re young filmmakers, and it’s so important for people to support the new generation of creators. You receive a lot of “nos” for your projects. People comment on your age, your budget, your story – whatever. But now, it's the first time we’ve had help and support from a bigger community, and especially from the Council of Europe, which is a huge step for both our careers and for the project. This will help us massively because now we have the budget to continue developing the project, and we also have more credibility when presenting it to other people, distributors, and co-producers.
Niccolò Salvato:
It’s also an incredibly complicated project to develop without money. You need people who can support you on this journey and have the right connections in order for you to get to the essence of documentary, which is telling life stories. And you don’t get to know them until you find someone who brings them to you and says: ‘Here you go.’ Like researchers who really find profiles that match with what you want to tell at the end of the day.
NEAR LIGHT - Second Lives of Murderers (author's archive)
The topic of the series is, indeed, very specific. Even the first step - gaining legal access to these stories, is a difficult task. The team, however, speaks positively about their experience.
Mara Cracaleanu:
When Niccolò first pitched the idea to me, I found it extremely interesting. Because, again, I had watched other series before that didn’t represent the system correctly. They weren’t interesting, and they didn’t even have an educational purpose. So I jumped on board.
That’s how the short proof of concept started, which we shot in Italy with a UK crew. The whole crew became very close with Mattia, following him for a long time now. It’s like a big family, especially now, continuing with his story. It’s a privilege to be able to follow this story.
Next, I wanted to film in Romania, because it’s a different justice system of course. Romania is an Eastern European country, and people don’t know much about what is happening behind closed doors there. So, I went inside one of the prisons in my hometown, and I spent a full day discussing with the inmates. I found extremely interesting human stories and perspectives.
Then, the Czech Republic came into the picture after a meeting I had online with other producers, and that’s where I met Michal [Michal Sikora - Lonely Production], our co-producer. He jumped into the project immediately, which was amazing because I had spent months trying to search for partners. It’s a very difficult project to make. People are often interested but back off later because either they don’t have the means or because it’s very complicated to enter a prison in some countries. That’s how everything started. Now, we have a good collaboration and structure, and we hope we’ll be able to film all of the stories and bring the series to life soon.
Niccolò Salvato:
I think it’s interesting to quote one of the German producers we talked to after the pitch. He said that he didn’t ask for a meeting with us before the pitch, but after seeing the pitch, he changed his mind. He said, “I was so fossilized on the idea of what prison is, like it’s already been shown.
It’s a theme that has been broadly discussed and analysed in cinema. But he was interested in this new take. Everyone thinks they understand prison – but they don’t, because that reality isn’t something most people are ever able to come close to. I think cinema is one of the most powerful means to break this barrier. Not everyone can enter prison walls, of course, but with the right help, as a filmmaker you can, and you can show this reality for a better social purpose.
And what steps await the young crew now?
Mara Cracaleanu:
Well, we would like to finish Mattia’s story, of course, shooting in Italy, and then start shooting in Romania, where I’ve already got access. In the Czech Republic, we’re still in the research process, but we’re very confident we’ll find a case very soon. Now it’s about making a clear and strong structure, putting together all these interesting stories, and starting to shoot in the other territories. We hope to package it all together and have the series ready soon.
As the project continues to take shape, both Cracaleanu and Salvato remain committed to capturing the hidden world of high-security prison inmates on their path to a new life. The European justice system is a complex subject to navigate, but with the strong foundation built on the mentorship, networking and now also funding they received, the young crew is determined to bring this important series to life.
Whether the next parts of the series will be set in the two mentioned countries, or if the team will discover a more creatively and legislatively suitable match to accompany Mattia's story, remains to be seen. No matter where their next stories will take place, Salvato and Cracaleanu hope to foster a broader discussion about second chances within our system of sentence execution and to shed light on the stories behind them.
NEAR LIGHT - Second Lives of Murderers (author's archive)
The Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award 2025 is a prestigious €50,000 prize supporting independent producers and encouraging international collaboration in series co-production. Part of the Pilot Programme for Series Co-Productions, it offers recognition and key market access to emerging talent. In 2025, the award was hosted by East Doc Platform, one of only three European markets selected, alongside CineLink Drama and TV Beats – Industry@Tallinn. More information about the award and jury statements can be found in the article here.