News  ·  17 | 07 | 2018

Locarno Pro supports Swiss film industry professionals

Three producers, three feature film projects and three young Swiss professionals have been selected to take part in the Locarno Festival’s program for film industry professionals.
Locarno Pro, the new label that from this year covers all of Locarno’s activities for the film industry, held from 1 – 7 August, proudly notes the numerous Swiss cohort among this year’s professional attendees. Locarno Pro makes a proactive, 360-degree effort to support auteur cinema, both by setting up new projects and by expanding and optimizing its existing services and initiatives, with the aim of fostering the work of sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, producers and filmmakers in their respective fields, from the conception stage to actual distribution of independent arthouse product in different regions of the world. To follow a list and some details about the Swiss producers, professionals and projects attending Locarno71.

Locarno Pro benefits from the support of the Federal Office of Culture (FOC), in the context of the MEDIA compensatory measures.

 

MATCH ME! (3 5 August)
In partnership with SWISS FILMS, three Swiss producers will take part in the networking platform, alongside colleagues from Brazil, Estonia, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico and Poland. At a series of goal-oriented meetings and working lunches with selected professionals, the Swiss producers will have an opportunity to present their company profile, film projects and their vision of the cinema. 

The three Swiss producers:
Tolga Dilsiz (8horses)
8horses was founded in 2013 by a collective of filmmakers, writers, artists and cinematographers who have known each other for more than ten years and been working together regularly. 8horses is democratically organized. The members contribute to the collective with their creative potential and experience. They use the strength of the group to promote and protect the individuality of each member. The films that they produce are as diverse as their members. They all have in common that they want to make films that display a distinct and individual view on the world.
Filmography: Cherry Pie – Lorenz Merz, 2014.

Flavia Zanon (Close Up Films)
Close Up Films is an independent production company based in Geneva. Not limited by genre, they produce a wide range of projects including fiction, documentaries, TV series and web docs. Aspiring to reach a wide audience with demanding projects – both in form and content – they work with both promising new talents and established directors and regularly coproduce with foreign partners.
Filmography: Of Sheep and Men, Karim Sayad, 2016; I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck, 2016; A Skin So Soft, Denis Côté, 2016; Wild Plants, Nicolas Humbert, 2015; Rio Corgo, Maya Kosa & Sergio da Costa, 2015.

Olivier Zobrist (Langfilm)
Langfilm was founded in 1980 and is one of the established production companies in Switzerland. The company has produced over 40 fiction films and documentaries, many of them in coproduction with European partners. In recent years Langfilm focused particularly on working with and promoting young Swiss writers/directors.
Filmography: Seitentriebe (TV Series) – Güzin Kar, 2018; Strangers – Lorenz Suter, 2017: The Congo Tribunal (Das Kongo Tribunal) – Milo Rau, 2017; The Last Touch (Die letzte Pointe) – Rolf Lyssy, 2017; The Frog (Der Frosch) – Jann Preuss, 2016.

 

ALLIANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT (3 – 5 August)
Alliance for Development actively encourages the development of film projects in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland. Four projects have been selected among the recipients of current bilateral development funding from MiBACT (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Italy), the FFA (Filmförderungsanstalt, Germany) and CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, France). Three are the Swiss projects, which previously applied for development aid through MEDIA compensatory measures, that are also taking part in the initiative.

As a natural partner to these countries, since 2016 Switzerland has hosted their annual meeting, with support from the FOC (Federal Office of Culture, Switzerland), in the ambit of the compensatory measures of MEDIA, MiBACT and the FFA.

The three Swiss projects selected:

  • Au Sud by Lionel Baier, produced by Pauline Gygax and Max Karli (Bandita Films)
  • Le Passeur by Kaveh Bakhtiari, produced by Isabelle Zampiero and Tristan Aymon (Terrain Vague)
  • Renaissance by Caterina Mona, produced by Michela Pini (Cinéddoké)

 

INDUSTRY ACADEMY (1 7 August)
The Industry Academy offers an intensive workshop for young professionals working in international sales, marketing, distribution (including digital platforms), exhibition and programming (festivals, film clubs and film archives). For upcoming generations the Academy creates a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the film industry and its challenges.

The three Swiss professionals selected:

  • Mélanie Courvoisier, programming officer and Administrator at Zinema, Cinema d'Oron, Minimum
  • Moritz Schneider, Co-Founder and Festival Strategist at CUT UP and FestivalWhizz
  • Tanja Weibel, Hospitality & Accreditations and “Cinetour" Project Manager at the Solothurn Film Festival

 

Support the festival now with a donation