As traditional film finance contracts, Locarno underscored parts of the business which is booming – international co-production – or growing or relatively new: Venture capital investment Unspooling over Aug. 5-15, this year’s Locarno Film Festival broke records for industry attendance and its heat, Switzerland enduring its hottest summer since records began in 1864. Led by an ebullient Olivia Wilde, charged by the breakout success of “The Invite,” Locarno Pro delivered a telling take on the world’s arthouse crunch with the sector courting venture capital to fill the breach of contracting finance from traditional sources. These and other industry takeaways fom this year’s Locarno Film Festival.
Olivia Wilde charmed with a candid conversation at Locarno and her unveiling to a Piazza Grande audience “The Invite,” which could — or should — be in the upcoming Oscar race. Zoe Saldaña, who also received a tribute, explained why she was bothered by political questions. Another Locarno honoree, James Gray, presenting “Paper Tiger,” was in fine fettle delivering a stomping interview with Variety, calling AI “worthless” and arguing “young people won’t stand for it.” Monica Bellucci declared she’d never done anything like her role in “Ketticè”: “On set in my pyjamas with a knife in my hand and slippers on my feet.” Europe’s biggest mid-summer film event, “Locarno offers prestige, elegance and plenty of press attention at what is a much less crowded selection than most festivals in the awards season corridor,” Stuart Ford, at AGC Intl., told Variety last year when he brought “Kiss of the Spider Woman” to Locarno.
That reason still stands as Locarno’s star presence builds ever more. Variety called “Objet a,” an Oscilloscope U.S. pick-up from Ann Oren (“Piaff”), “a wickedly kinky curiosity.” “Hearing” (“gorgeous, secretive”), Swedish-Danish Maria Back’s “Brave New Love” (an “emotionally intelligent, gently wry character drama”) and Felix Randau’s “I Is Another” (“a handsomely upholstered psychological thriller”) also came in for Variety praise. As did German Isabelle Stever’s “I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming,” “stark surprising.” Elsewhere, Argentinean Alessandra Sanguinetti’s “The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer” – dreamy, grounded,” said Variety — had plenty of fans.
Coppens, The Catalysts founder, asked a packed audience at Locarno’s Step-In think tank’s opening panel after Stephen Follows damning analysis of algorithm-driven decision-making in a Step-In introduction. Only two hands went up from audience members. Locarno Pro itself drives to identify opportunities during good times and industry malaise.
Step-In is anticipating one-to-two years max because things are moving so fast,” says Locarno Pro director Markus Duffner. That said, Locarno in 2026, supplied multiple suggestions for ways forward for the international independent sector. Co-Production: The Industry’s Get Out of Jail Card One, without doubt, is co-production.
Locarno’s large networking event. Most producers there would agree. Indeed, international co-production was highlighted by 12 of 20 Match Me! producers who talked to Variety about their business model, followed by genre production (three) and non-theatrical distribution (two).
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