The Locarno Film Festival‘s industry program Locarno Pro is launching the Locarno Investment Community, a new initiative designed to connect independent film financiers with the European film industry. Developed in collaboration with Oxbelly, a European nonprofit based in Greece that promotes collaboration between the U.S. and EU through its Ambassadors initiative, the new program aims to “foster meaningful engagement between investors, filmmakers, and industry professionals,
reinforcing Locarno Pro’s role as a hub for independent cinema.”
Providing a dedicated professional track within Locarno Pro, the inaugural edition of the
initiative will take place Aug. 7-10. It will integrate film financiers into key industry events and networking opportunities to give them access to the festival’s program and creatives.
“The Locarno Investment Community will welcome both seasoned funders looking to expand their reach within the European film landscape and newcomers eager to support independent cinema,” Locarno Pro organizers said. “Financiers will have the opportunity to engage with emerging and established filmmakers, explore evolving funding models, and contribute to the growth of independent cinema.”
Said Giona A. Nazzaro, the artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival: “As global distribution models continue to shift, Locarno remains committed to supporting independent voices and positioning itself as a key space for film financing. As one of the key A festivals, Locarno is fully committed to generating new spaces where creativity is welcomed and nurtured. The future of the audiovisual landscape and cinema specifically lies in our abilities to imagine new business models and productions tools that look boldly forward.”
Markus Duffner, director of Locarno Pro, added: “Locarno Pro has a track record of nurturing
talent, with recent success stories including Flow, the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning animated film by Match Me! alumnus Matiss Kaza, and All We Imagine as Light, the Cannes Grand Jury Prize-winning film produced by alumnus Thomas Hakim. By embedding the Locarno Investment Community within the existing Locarno Pro structure, the festival is expanding its network to include new funding pathways.”
The initiative’s long-term vision is “to attract a cohort of film funders from the U.S., Europe, and Switzerland, ensuring sustained engagement and investment in independent filmmaking,” Duffner concluded.
“The global film market has shifted, and to ensure its evolution, we need new financing pathways – models that serve both filmmakers and funders, encouraging broader participation and a healthier ecosystem,” said Oxbelly executive director “In a time of global division, American film financiers and philanthropists recognize the importance of supporting diverse independent voices as a way to collectively shift dominant narratives. Their continued engagement in Europe brings valuable practices from the American independent film space into a rapidly evolving European landscape.”
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