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Marco Solari, President of the Locarno Film Festival, opened proceedings by reminding members that his tenure is entering its final year, coinciding with an overhaul of the governance of the Festival. Under the proposed changes, the membership of the Board will be reduced, while two new consultative bodies will be introduced: the Policy Advisory Board and the Industry Advisory Board. Thanks to their specific sectorial expertise, the two new boards will provide solid support for the Board of Directors in the formulation of its strategic planning. Lastly, the two artistic and managing directorships will be merged into a single general management office, led by the two current directors. Against this background, the appointment committee has continued its search for possible candidates for the presidency, as reported by Mario Timbal, coordinator of the committee.
Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director, described the international situation of profound changes in the film industry and how the Festival is responding to all of it, reasserting itself constantly as a proactive player and credible, trustworthy champion of auteur cinema and for the young filmmakers of tomorrow.
Raphaël Brunschwig, Managing Director, reviewed the accounts for fiscal year 2022. Last year’s celebratory 75th edition of the Festival required a major financial effort, possible thanks to increased funding from partners and by drawing on reserves to the extent of CHF 300,000. The budget for 2023 is set at CHF 17.2 million, with a deficit of CHF 550,000, but includes major restructuring of the Festival’s IT and digital architecture.
Lastly, Carla Speziali steps down as deputy President but remains a member of the Board of Directors.
The Annual General Meeting was also given details of the annual report, which not only describes all the activities of the Locarno Film Festival in 2022, but also presents its engagement with its goals for sustainability.
The annual report can be downloaded here.
The 76th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will take place from 2 to 12 August 2023. On 31 July there will be the traditional Prefestival night, offering free admission to everyone, thanks to the support of la Mobiliare.
From this year’s edition, every form of admission to the Festival (single ticket, Day pass, Festival pass, accreditation) will entitle the holder to freely use public transportation in the whole of Canton Ticino for the period of its validity. This initiative has been made possible thanks to our valuable partnership with Swiss train operator FFS, giving a further boost to sustainable mobility alongside the other measures already taken by the Festival to reduce its environmental impact.