The Executive Board of the Locarno Film Festival, under President Marco Solari, has conducted an initial, in-depth appraisal of succession planning for the role of Artistic Director, reaching a series of conclusions that will be put before the Board of Directors at its next meeting. The Executive Board also took the decision to appoint Nadia Dresti as interim head of artistic direction of the Festival and coordination of Locarno Pro over the coming weeks.
Nadia Dresti will therefore be leaving her post as Director of the Ticino Film Commission, in accord with the Commission, in order to take up the role of interim head of artistic direction and of coordination of Locarno Pro.
Locarno native Nadia Dresti was for several years Director of marketing at 20th Century Fox Switzerland. She then set up Zero Problem, a Geneva-based company specializing in film promotion and PR, with which she worked at the European Film Market in Berlin (EFM), the Marché in Cannes and the Locarno Film Festival, where in 2000 she created the Industry Office (now Locarno Pro) and in 2003 was a co-creator of the Open Doors section. For eight years she served as a member of the Film Culture, Promotion and Marketing Commission of Switzerland’s Federal Office of Culture (FOC) in Berne. In 2017 she was appointed as Deputy Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival, at the same time continuing in her role as Head of the Festival’s industry-related initiatives. In 2018 she was appointed Director of the Ticino Film Commission, becoming International Advisor for the Locarno Film Festival.
During the same session, the Executive Board decided to extend the scope of operations of Deputy COO Simona Gamba, who will be tasked with expanding the digital engagement of the Locarno Film Festival beyond the event’s traditional timeframe and geographical limits. Simona Gamba, a U.S. citizen but born in Turin, Italy, gained a degree in Socio-Economics from Milan’s Bocconi University before becoming Head of Casting at MTV. In 2010 she continued her career as a freelance professional in audiovisual consultancy, working with both major European brands and new start-ups. From 2014 she specialized in digital transformation projects as Strategy Director for Sketchin, a Swiss strategic design studio. She has been Deputy COO of the Locarno Film Festival since 2019 and also acted as Head of Communication for the Locarno 2020 edition.
Again in the same session, the Board confirmed the proposal from the Director to appoint Giada Peter as the new Head of Communication of the Locarno Film Festival. Lugano-born Giada Peter graduated in Communications at USI (University of Italian-speaking Switzerland) before going on to gain a Master’s in cultural studies, specializing in Social and Cultural Anthropoloy, at the University of Lucerne. From 2009 to 2012 she worked with several newspapers and magazines in Ticino and in 2015 joined the staff of the Locarno Film Festival, initially as an events coordinator and later in the press office, which she has headed since 2018. From this year she also collaborates with SUPSI – University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland for the Bachelor's degree in Leisure Management with an introductory course in communication.