Filmmakers Academy

• A training program from the Locarno Film Festival dedicated to emerging young directors.
• A unique opportunity to experience the Locarno Film Festival hands-on, with a chance to meet and get to personally know some of the great names who have made, and continue to make, cinema history. Guests in recent years have included directors of the caliber of Ken Loach, Agnès Varda, Werner Herzog, Gaspar Noé, Eliza Hittman, Pedro Costa, Chantal Akerman, Sean Baker, Lav Diaz, Michael Cimino, Abel Ferrara, Jonas Mekas, Bruno Dumont, Todd Haynes, Albert Serra, Radu Jude, Maren Ade, Luca Guadagnino, Kelly Reichardt. To mention only a few of the names involved
• A place for encounters and exchange, where new ideas take shape and collaborations get off the ground.
• A window of opportunity to showcase your directing talent and share it both with fellow participants on the project and with the Locarno audience at the Academy Screenings (a screening of one of your shorts in a public venue of the Festival and part of the official screenings).

What is the perfect candidate profile?

• Age from 18 to 35.
• Fluent knowledge of English – you will need English to interact with all the other Academy participants and guests at Locarno.
• A filmography including at least one short film directed by you that has been selected in an international festival.
• Keen to join the other participants in exploring new ways of understanding and making cinema.
• The Locarno Film Festival has a strong cinema identity: study the list of titles selected in recent years to ascertain whether your ideas about the cinema universe are in tune with the spirit of Locarno.

The directors selected for the Filmmakers Academy come from all over the world and from very different social backgrounds. Some have won prizes for best short film at prestigious festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Sundance or Venice, while others have gained recognition in specific global regions and are at the outset of an international career.

In recent years we have seen several go on to make that step up (Marcelo Martinessi from Paraguay, winner of best short film at Venice in 2016 and the Silver Bear in Berlin in 2018; Rina Tsou from Taiwan and Christos Massalas from Greece, both selected for the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes; Sameh Alaa from Egypt, winner of the Golden Palm for best short film at Cannes 2020; U.S. director Reinaldo Marcus Green, an Oscar nominee in 2022…).

Every year, our hope is to nurture new talents who in the future will receive awards and acknowledgments for the quality of their work as filmmakers.

In addition to your personal data you will be asked to supply:

• Your CV in English.
• Your filmography, including links with passwords if required.
• A motivational letter explaining your passion   for cinema and your reasons for being a candidate. It’s very important for us to understand the spirit and the plans you have for developing your  cinematic approach
• A portrait photo for your accreditation, should you be selected.

• 28 March 2023 – application process opens
• 7 May 2023 – deadline for sending in your application
• 5 June 2023 – after this date you will receive an answer in respect of your application
• 2-12 August 2023 – participation in the Locarno Film Festival

We can tell you that  it will be a unique experience, and we’re also pretty confident that you’ll enjoy it.

The Festival offers you:

• Accommodation with breakfast at the Locarno youth hostel (from Wednesday 2 to Saturday 12 August), in a twin-bedded room. Every participant will have to share a twin room with one other participant.
• Accreditation giving admission to all screenings at the Locarno Film Festival.
• Participation in the program of meetings organized by the Filmmakers Academy.
• The possibility of screening one of your short films in a theater during the Academy Screenings (titles screened will be part of the official Festival program).
• Networking events.

Travel to and from the Festival will be payable by the participants themselves.  Food vouchers cover a fixed amount in CHF per day, so participants will have to pay the outstanding balance for each meal.