The Locarno Critics Academy is an extensive workshop in film criticism that gives young writers a crucial entry point into the world of film festivals. During the 10 days of the Critics Academy, the participants will cover the Festival for a variety of international outlets and participate in workshops with writers, critics, curators, festival directors, and filmmakers.
©Carlo Pisani / SWI swissinfo.ch
“In 2024, the work of selecting 10 participants for the Critics Academy was even more herculean than before. No doubt thanks to a new editorial partnership with MUBI Notebook, we received more than twice as many applications than in any other year. Our selection will bring diverse writers from Argentina to China, from the Dominican Republic to Romania, from Singapore to Switzerland to Locarno in August. These writers have varied interests and styles, writing diaristically, historically, academically, commercially—but always, crucially, with imaginative flair and critical rigor. Many are also involved in the production of their own publications as editors, an act that insures a future for film criticism, however modest and against whatever seemingly impossible odds”.
Christopher Small, Critics Academy Project Manager
This year's Academy will feature MUBI's international film publication Notebook as its main publication partner. The Academy's co-organizers, Locarno’s Christopher Small and Notebook’s Chloe Lizotte, will mentor invited writers and work closely with them as they craft their festival coverage, from pitching to publication. The online Notebook will be a home for the critics' writing from the Locarno Film Festival, alongside other participating outlets.
