The proposed feature film, an adaptation of a book by well known Italian filmmaker Sergio Scapagnini, will be the first under the Indo-Italian co-production treaty signed in May this year.

The Story of Lala, based symbolically on the legend of Ulysses, is expected to go on the floors next year and Ghosh is currently busy with the script of the film, Scapagnini said.

"We are currently looking for locations for the film which is to be shot both in India and Italy," he said, adding a search was also on for the boy who would play the title role. The remainder of the cast is yet to be decided and there could be a number of Indian film stars in the project, Scapagnini added.

Film makers from India and Italy have been collaborating on projects even before the co-production treaty was signed. The first such film, shot entirely in India, was made a decade ago and directed by Lamberto Lambertini of Italy. The film was shown at the International Film Festival of India in 1996.

The Italian Ambassador to India, Antonio Armellini said there had been a significant growth of interest by Italian producers in Indian cinema and by Indian producers to work in Italy.

For Gautam Ghosh, however, working on a cross-border celluloid project is nothing new after having directed Padma Nadir Majhi in Bangladesh some years ago with a cast drawn from the two countries including Rupa Ganguly, Utpal Dutt, Robi Ghosh, Gulshan Akhtar Champa and Raisul Islam Asad.