Nadia Dresti

Born in Locarno, Nadia Dresti began her professional career in film as head of marketing for 20th Century Fox Switzerland. She went on to found her own PR and film marketing company in Geneva in 1990 that would go on to collaborate with, among others, the Locarno Film Festival, the Cannes Marché du Film and the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlinale.

In 2000, she created Locarno Pro, leading the initiative for two decades, by which point, in 2020, it had become a key strategic axis of the Festival. Today, it continues to be recognized as a hub for film industry professionals from around the world. In 2003, she participated in the launch of Open Doors, the workshop aimed at supporting film production in regions where independent cinema is particularly at risk. In 2006, her participation in the life of the Locarno Film Festival was strengthened by her appointment as Delegate to the Artistic Direction, and in 2022 she was nominated Deputy Artistic Director ad interim.

Formerly Director of the Ticino Film Commission, she was also, from 2012 to 2019, a member of the Federal Commission of Cinema of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. In 2019, she was appointed Vice President of UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Locarno Film Festival since 2022 and is currently Head of the Industry Advisory Board.