It's a wrap for Locarno’s 2024 edition of its industry platform Locarno Pro. Celebrating 25 years of industry at the Locarno Film Festival this year, Locarno Pro saw an all-time high in attendees.
Overall, Locarno Pro saw a growth of over 23% in industry accreditations, welcoming more than 1,884 professionals (1,530 in 2023). Of the attendees, 1,743 of them visited the event on the ground in Switzerland and 141 joined online (1,460 on-site and 70 online in 2023). 50,8% of the attendants identified as women, 47,4% as men, and 1,8 % as other or preferred not to disclose their gender.
From 8 to 13 August, around 100 countries were represented, with 1,449 pre-scheduled meetings taking place as part of its programs Match Me!, Alliance 4 Development and Open Doors, whereas a total of 75 films were presented through an extended lineup of Industry Screenings, works-in-progress section First Look and the SWISS FILMS preview.
Markus Duffner, Head of Locarno Pro, comments: “We are extremely humbled by not only the significant rise in numbers, showing that more and more professionals find their way to Locarno, but also the enthusiasm and loyalty of our participants and partners. Also, we are very happy to announce that of the 28 films in the Festival's Official Selection who did not have international sales representation attached at the time of the program announcement, 13 of them landed one before the start of the festival. This shows the faith the industry has in us and the importance of the Festival as a launching pad for films.”
Some of this year's highlights included the eye-opening Out-of-the-Box StepIn introduction by media and entertainment lawyer Kelsey Farish on AI’s transformative role in the film industry, a masterclass by Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude, and a full day of panels on financing, during which Eurimages presented its new Film Marketing & Audience Development Support scheme and several private and alternative funding options Europe were discussed.
The Industry Academy, an intensive 5-day training program specifically aimed at emerging professionals working in international film sales, marketing, distribution, exhibition and programming, joined in on the celebration with their 10th anniversary this year.
Locarno Pro's works-in-progress session First Look focused on Spain this year, thanks to a partnership with ICAA, the Spanish Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts, and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment. The strand presented six much anticipated titles on the cusp of completion and concluded with the Industry Award Ceremony on Sunday, with prizes for Dream of Another Summer by Irene Bartolomé, Río abajo, un tigre by Víctor Diago, Mares by Ariadna Seuba and Bodegón con fantasmas by Enrique Buleo.
Alliance 4 Development, the co-development program for projects in development from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, also came to an end on Sunday, 11 August, with Bourgeois Paranoia by Lukas Nathrath, 6 Mois 6 jours (6 Months 6 Days) by Michale Boganim, La Fin de l’été (Atlantic Mirage) by Hakim Mao, and Itaca (Ithaca) directed by Alessandro Grande taking home the awards.
Locarno Pro also announced that Liliana Canavi’s I cannibali (The Year of the Cannibals, 1969) won the second edition of the Heritage Restoration Contest. The film, represented by Minerva Pictures, will receive a full restoration by film lab Cinegrell and will be shown at the Locarno Film Festival 2025.
Read the full article on the Industry Award Winners here.
On Tuesday, 13 August, Open Doors officially closed Locarno Pro for this year, with its third and final edition focusing on Latin American and the Caribbean. After 5 intense days on the ground in Locarno and weeks of online consulting, the program was concluded with an Award Ceremony, with the Open Doors Grant divided among four projects: Salvación by Ernesto Bautista, El único tiempo by Paz Encina, La levedad de ella by Rosa María Rodriguez, and Huaco retrato by Fernando Luis Mendoza Salazar.
For its upcoming four editions, Open Doors will shift its focus to the African continent.
Read the full press release on the Open Doors winners here.
