Traditionally taking place at the beginning of August, the Locarno Film Festival plans to move the event to the second half of July. A consultation procedure has been launched and in the event of a positive result, the change would a priori take place in 2027, for the 80th edition.
The board of directors of the Locarno film festival decided at its meeting on December 2 to launch a consultation procedure regarding a possible change of dates, it said in a press release released on Wednesday.
What had appeared as a provocation on the part of the new president of the festival, the patron and billionaire Maja Hoffmann, could therefore well materialize; even if the idea had raised many eyebrows when she mentioned it when inaugurating her first festival last August. But the stakes are high: to promote the Ticino event against its major competitors, such as Cannes, Venice or Berlin.
>> A lire : Maja Hoffmann: “All festivals should question themselves”
Satisfy public expectations and attract a professional audience
“In the context of the profound transformations that the film industry has undergone in recent years, this change of dates appears necessary so that the festival can meet the major challenges affecting the entire audiovisual sector,” writes the board of directors. .
A change of date would make it possible to meet public expectations, while attracting a large current professional audience, the press release further specifies. The aim being to “strengthen Locarno’s position as a crucial and sought-after launch pad for international film productions”.
Many obstacles to overcome
The festival management has just written to the city of Locarno, owner of the famous Piazza Grande, in order to launch a consultation procedure. If necessary, the new calendar would be introduced in 2027, the year of the 80th edition.
A series of obstacles remain to be overcome, such as making the festival coincide with other major events taking place during the same period. The city, tourism and the region’s economy, without forgetting the public, will be consulted during a period which has yet to be determined.
The next two editions of the Locarno Film Festival are maintained on the dates already announced, i.e. from August 6 to 16, 2025 and from August 5 to 15, 2026.
Sujet antennas: Nicole Della Pietra
Web adaptation: aq with ats
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