© Locarno Film Festival / Ti-Press
Alliance 4 Development (A4D), the co-development program for projects in development from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, has selected 11 projects for its upcoming 10th edition. The aim of A4D is to future-proof the market potential of the projects and foster long-term creative and business ties between the targeted countries.
Running during Locarno Pro (7-12 August 2025) at the 78th Locarno Film Festival, the selected projects will take part in an intensive three-day schedule. Participants will engage in tailored one-on-one meetings, pitching sessions, networking events, workshops, industry lunches, and feedback sessions, offering invaluable opportunities to strengthen their projects’ international reach. For those looking to take their projects to the next level, Alliance 4 Development is the gateway to meaningful international collaborations and global visibility.
A4D will conclude with an award ceremony, where participants have the opportunity to win several awards to further support the development of their projects: the Alphapanda Market Breakout Award, consisting in consultancy services in the value of 3,500 EUR; a script consultancy residency at DreamAgo, offered by the Valais Film Commission, worth 5,000 CHF; the MIDPOINT Consulting Award for an in-depth online script consultancy with one of the MIDPOINT Institute experts; the Ticino Film Commission Residence Award, which consists of a two-day location scout (worth 4,000 CHF) and Letter of Intent (LOI) for financial support for the production company (worth up to 12,000 CHF), if all or part of the film will be shot in Ticino, the Masé Studio Award worth 3,000 CHF in cash, and the Masé Studio Post-production Award worth 25,000 CHF in post-production services.
This year’s selection includes new work by Sarah Miro Fischer, whose debut feature Schwesterherz (The Good Sister) premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale earlier this year; the latest project by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman, directors of Vittoria (2024), which premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti section and later screened at Thessaloniki and Cairo; a new film by Jenna Hasse, whose previous work L’amour du monde (2023) was shown at the Berlinale and the New Directors/New Films Festival; Valentin Merz’s sophomore feature, following his debut De noche los gatos son pardos (2022), which premiered at Locarno; and Im Verborgenen, the upcoming film by veteran director Goran Rebić (Jugofilm, Berlinale 1997). This year’s lineup also features debut features by emerging talents whose earlier work in short films and documentaries has already garnered recognition, introducing promising new voices to the independent film scene.
The full selection of this year is:
Alliance 4 Development Project Manager Francesca Palleschi comments: “The 10th edition of A4D marks a fitting moment to reflect on the diversity and vitality of today’s cinema. The 2025 selection brings together debut features, sophomore films, and works by more established voices—offering a vivid snapshot of contemporary storytelling. Themes of identity, belonging, social challenges, and environmental concerns run through bold narratives and striking characters.”
The selection of the finalists was carried out with the contribution of an international pre-selection committee, composed of: Julie Billy, Producer and Co-founder of June Films; Natalia Libet, Producer and Co-founder of 2Brave Productions; and Gaetano Maiorino, Head of International Co-productions & Business Affairs at Tramp Limited. Finalists were picked out of 93 submissions, an increase of 8% in comparison to 2024.
Recent standout titles to emerge from the program include The Village Next To Paradise (2024) by Mo Harawe, selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard; Der Fleck (Skill Issue) by Willy Hans, selected for Cineasti del Presente at Locarno 2024; Berlinale 2023 entries Music by Angela Schanelec and L’Amour du Monde by Jenna Hasse; Chicken for Linda! (2023) by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach, which screened in Cannes’ ACID section and at Annecy; Continental Drift (South) (2022) by Lionel Baier, featured in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes; and Semret (2022) by Caterina Mona, which premiered on the Piazza Grande at Locarno75.
Alliance 4 Development is possible thanks to partnerships with CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée), France; FFA (Filmförderungsanstalt), Germany; DGCA-MiC (Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo del Ministero della Cultura), Italy; ÖFI (Österreichisches Filminstitut), Austria; the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) / MEDIA Desk Suisse, Switzerland. A4D is also made possible by contributions from Eurimages, which promotes and sponsors one of the initiative's networking events.
