Happy Fifth birthday, BaseCamp!

When the project first started, we, the team of BaseCamp, faced the challenge of clearing up misunderstandings about the project. Many thought it was just a youth hostel, but we knew it was so much more. After five years, we have succeeded in showcasing the diverse and enriching experiences offered at BaseCamp, dispelling any doubts about its essential role in the Locarno Film Festival's identity today.

The journey to achieve this milestone has been filled with effort, numerous films, heartfelt stories from participants, art that often defied conventional understanding, countless ideas, and the beginning of many new projects and meaningful collaborations.

BaseCamp is made of people coming from Switzerland and all corners of the globe to Locarno. These are emerging talents in different artistic fields, young researchers, curators, activists... very different profiles that share a passion for cinema and the idea of being able to open a dialogue creatively across disciplines and skills. This year, more than ever, "In Conversation We Trust”!  

The faith we place in the power of encounters between diverse cultures and backgrounds will fill the BaseCamp venues where about 200 talents will stay: the Muralto school institute and the Collegio Papio in Ascona. And most importantly at the BaseCamp PopUp, (Istituto Sant’Eugenio, in the heart of Locarno), where every day they will meet for training moments, professional networking events, and performances. The BaseCamp PopUp is open to the general audience of the Locarno Film Festival.

Some highlights include:

The BaseCamp Library and “Il Posto”: an environment where ideas blossom and exchanges flow freely, with a curated collection of books to explore.

Why’d Ya Do It: an immersive, multidisciplinary project inspired by Marianne Faithfull’s music and born from a collaboration with the Montreux Jazz Festival, Play Suisse, Mx3, and the SUISA Foundation. The installation, mixing the works of different cutting-edge artists, promises to create a captivating and innovative experience, showcasing a powerful fusion of music and visual art.

The BaseCamp Academy: a learning pathway that will add another new piece to this puzzle of interlocking but distinct disciplines, creating an even more inclusive dimension where classic forms of cinema and more experimental productions coexist.

The Future of Survival: From August 13 to 15, three evening public meetings will be held, curated by Kevin B. Lee (Locarno Film Festival Professor for the Future of Cinema and the Audiovisual Arts at the Università della Svizzera italiana). These conferences will feature journalists and academics from around the world and explore important contemporary issues such as generative AI, environmental justice, migration, identity, and anti-colonial struggles.

Stefano Knuchel
Project Manager, BaseCamp

BaseCamp is made possible thanks to the Municipality of Muralto and the Municipality of Losone.

Contributing to the project are the partners: Play Suisse, La Posta, Migros Kulturprozent Story Lab, Suissimage, SSA, Swissperform, Verzaschella and the Else von Sick, Ernst Göhner, Mercator, Roskothen, and SUISA foundations.