Industry Office

The mission of the Industry Office of the Festival del film Locarno, headed by Nadia Dresti, is to facilitate networking among world film industry professionals attending the event. The Industry Office was set up to support producers and agents presenting films at the Festival, by liaising with personalities in sales and distribution.

As a means of promoting and encouraging contacts between industry attendees, the 64th Festival saw the introduction of the now regular Industry Days (scheduled for 6 through 8 August this year), featuring a program of Industry Screenings, forums and round tables focused on production and distribution issues. Holders of the Industry Badge, a special accreditation offering numerous benefits and reserved for specific categories of Festival attendees, are assured publication of a personalized profile of the accredited company in the Industry Guide, as well as admission to the Industry Lounge – the perfect location for business meetings, with free wi-fi.

This year will see a further extension of our ongoing partnership with the Europa Distribution network, which brings together 80 European distribution concerns. The objective of the presence of these companies in Locarno is to strengthen the ties between the auteur titles selected for the Festival and the distribution companies that are in the front line defending this kind of cinema.

Since 2003 the Industry Office and the Open Doors section, this year dedicated to India, have organized the Open Doors Factory, the Locarno Festival’s co-production workshop. This helps filmmakers selected for Open Doors by organizing a series of individually tailored meetings with producers interested in the region in focus. The same kind of professional support is also offered to the young participants from the Cannes Cinéfondation. Across this raft of initiatives, the Industry Office can count on the loyal partners who have been there for the Festival from the outset: the two European producers’ associations ACE (Ateliers du Cinéma Européen) and EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), EPC (European Producers Club) and the Producers Network of the Cannes Film Festival.

This year will see the launching of "Carte Blanche", a new initiative presenting titles in post-production in a specific region. The inaugural 2011 edition will spotlight Colombia, featuring a selection of 5 to 8 films in post-production from the country. Producers of the films selected will be guests at the Festival, allowing them to present their works in progress to sales agents attending Locarno.

This latest initiative completes the set of the Festival’s industry portfolio, which now provides activities prioritizing buyers (Industry Screenings), producers (Open Doors) and sales agents (Carte Blanche).