News  ·  19 | 05 | 2020

Pardi di domani

The short film competition is taking advantage of the web's potential

Locarno 2020 – For the Future of Films  will also include Pardi di domani. In fact, an edition that envisions the future can't renounce shorts as a starting point. Their makers are beginning to experience cinema in the present, imagining it as their future, or choosing the format as their preferred cinematic language. This year, more than ever, the Locarno Film Festival can emphasize its spirit of discovery and encouragement, and therefore confirm the Pardi di domani competition. Albeit in a new, exceptional mode, the young filmmakers will be noticed, chosen and seen, and thus have the chance to take those vital steps that will define their future. As always, the awards will consist of the four main Pardini and other secondary prizes.  


As the Locarno Film Festival’s Artistic Director Lili Hinstin put it: “We felt that the Festival was in a position to make a significant practical contribution towards that remarkable creative laboratory that is the short film and, in the Utopian spirit that is the hallmark of Locarno, we decided to return to the original concept of the Internet as a knowledge-sharing space without borders or hierarchies. With the Pardi di domani competition online we will be attempting, together with the filmmakers, a unique and meaningful experience in Festival history. In a time where the ideal scenario is not achievable, we have decided to put ourselves on the line, next to the filmmakers, by offering an alternative solution for international visibility. As this is a new project, conceived as a result of the health crisis, we are aware that some filmmakers might not agree with it and choose another path for their works. In case they submitted their films to our competition in the past weeks, we guarantee utmost care and a refund." 


Pardini online 
Locarno 2020 will mark the first and only time that the Pardi di domani line-up makes its debut online, using the potential of the web. The Festival decided to maintain the competition, moving it online for obvious reasons, due to various factors: the short format, the changes to the film industry's logic in this time of crisis, the guarantee that other important festivals will still consider selecting the films shown in Locarno, and the certainty of being able to showcase the chosen filmmakers in a useful manner. As a result of talks with various industry players, with the assurance that the new approach will benefit the selected works, the shorts will be able to find their audience online, creating discussions and throughlines from one film to the next, turning this unusual year into an opportunity. 


The Pardi di domani selection committee, made up of Tizian Büchi, Liz Harkman, Stefan Ivančić and spokesperson Charlotte Corchète, declared: "Our aim is to make this edition a unique experience for the filmmakers and the audience. We will offer multiple opportunities beyond the competition selection, to offer each film a platform and a place in the history of the Festival. We hope that this unique moment enables us to reach broader audiences across the international cinema community." 


The competition 
Like every year, albeit in an exceptional manner for Locarno 2020 – For the Future of Films, the competition will consist of international and Swiss films, selected among those submitted up until June 3, a week later than the original deadline. In addition to other prizes that will be announced at a later date, the shorts will compete for the main awards, which will be decided by a jury:   

  • Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Swiss Short (10’000 CHF); 
  • Pardino d’oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short (10'000 CHF);    
  • Pardino d’argento Swiss Life for a Swiss short (5’000 CHF);    
  • Pardino d’argento SRG SSR an International short (5’000 CHF) 

The audience  
All the short films in competition will be available, free of charge, on August 5-15, 2020 on a platform with worldwide access, without any country-specific restrictions, in order to reach the widest possible audience. Each short film will be available for a total of 1590 viewers, matching the amount of people who can attend the physical screenings of the shorts in Locarno each year. Additional content, such as conversations with the filmmakers, is also in the works. Furthermore, the Festival is working with its partners on a possible release of the films in Swiss theaters after Locarno 2020.
Inline with the spirit of this year’s unique edition we invite all filmmakers to share the selected film with our international audience. However, films selected in the National competition have the option to limit their audience to Switzerland if necessary.

The Pardi di domani project is made possible with the support of Swiss Life and SRG SSR, who chose to continue supporting short films during Locarno 2020 – For the Future of Films. 

Click here for further details and submission guidelines.