As an event with a rich historical heritage, the Locarno Film Festival must necessarily keep alive its spirit of change, even as it looks to the future. Innovation, in the sense of responding to new audiences and changing trends in the media and audiovisual system, is the pathway the Festival has chosen as it seeks to maintain and strengthen its positive impact on the region and worldwide. That pathway also means actively involving the young generations in dedicated training courses and initiatives.
In recent years, numerous initiatives by the Locarno Film Festival dedicated to discovering emerging talent, experimenting with new languages, and exploring social change have gradually given shape to a new department: the Locarno Factory. This initiative was created to underscore the Festival's commitment and desire to renew its means of expression and support emerging voices. In this spirit, from August 6 to 16, 2025, the Factory will welcome around 300 voices from different geographical, cultural, and artistic backgrounds, who will be invited to engage and collaborate in an open environment.
The Factory is made up of many different elements: the BaseCamp artistic residency for young talents, whose PopUp will be open to all Festival audiences; the Festival's personal training projects for young filmmakers (Filmmakers Academy), critics (Critics Academy), and film industry professionals (Industry Academy); the educational experience of the REAL Academy, the Conference on the Future of Cinema and the Future Of talks, in collaboration with the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI); the review of films produced by Swiss film schools proposed by FILM FOUNDRY: Young Swiss Cinema; and the photography workshop held by German photographer Sven Creutzmann.
And then there are many other projects active throughout the rest of the year, such as the Spring Academy's film workshop, the Locarno Residency's first-film support program, and the Università della Svizzera italiana's chair For the Future of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts.
“This Must Be the Place” is the motto of the sixth edition of BaseCamp, a transdisciplinary artist residency that hosts a selection of the best emerging talents from Switzerland and around the world in Locarno.
This slogan emphasizes how the entire Factory aims to create an idealistic place where dialogue between different disciplines, cultures, and identities takes place with respect and depth. We want to explore social, political, scientific, economic, ecological, ethical, and artistic issues with absolute freedom of speech and thought.
Stefano Knuchel
Director of Locarno Factory
