Special Event

In March of 2024, the Locarno Film Festival held the 11th edition of its annual spring event, L’immagine e la parola. Under the title Noi e gli altri (“Us and Them”), the Festival welcomed acclaimed French filmmaker Alice Diop as its guest of honor, screening three of her films – Vers la tendresse (2016), Nous (2021), and Saint Omer (2022), which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Showcasing the Locarno Film Festival’s commitment to exploring the future of cinema, the program also featured a series of experimental video essays as well as a masterclass with Kevin B. Lee, Professor for the Future of Cinema and the Audiovisual Arts at Università della Svizzera italiana.

L'immagine e la parola also served as the kick-off event for this year’s a Spring Academy – a workshop for young filmmakers, organized by the Locarno Film Festival. Under the mentorship of Alice Diop, the six emerging directors teamed up with two actors and, over a ten-day period, shot a series of short films at Locarno’s Hotel Belvedere.