News  ·  01 | 07 | 2021

Locarno is in South-East Asia and Mongolia

Locarno74 marks the end of the three-year focus on the countries that have been part of Open Doors since 2019. Before that, though, another round of Hub, Lab, Screenings and more.

The end of one cycle is the beginning of another. Locarno74 will have a peculiar flavor as far as Open Doors is concerned. 2021 is the end of the three-year project devoted to South-East Asia and Mongolia, leading into the next focus. Before we get there, though, there’s still an entire edition to experience. Said edition will once again, finally, consist of meetings in Locarno, but it will also be partly online, for those who are still not able to travel. Locarno74 will be the hub for an increasingly vast and connected community, thanks to the work that happens before and after the eleven Festival days. That work consists of essential networking for those, like the filmmaking universes Open Doors looks at, who need know-how, networks, connections and relationships in order to grow. Such networking is possibile thanks to tools like the Hotline, the Online Consulting service, the web platform ToolBox and the Regional Forums.  

Naturally, Open Doors will also be a new edition of the HubLab and Screenings. It’s an opportunity that allows young filmmakers and producers to grow, and audiences to discover smaller filmmaking realities filled with great and diverse talent. Like every year, Open Doors will also provide another meeting point with the Festival audience, thanks to a roundtable discussion allowing viewers and professionals to embrace the reality of the countries in focus, some of which, like Myanmar, are currently dealing with their own serious hardships.  

Sophie Bourdon, Head of Open Doors: “The 2021 edition of Open Doors will combine the best of digital and onsite events to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the Open Doors experience, whether it be professional meetings or film screenings, in the format of their choice. Following the great success of the 2020 online edition, the Open Doors short films will not only be available in theaters, but also on the Festival's website, during the entire event and beyond the borders of Switzerland. Against all odds, Southeast Asian and Mongolian cinema and its many talents will thrill the Locarno audience in August.” 

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