Locarno 2026 – Locarno Pro
Country Focus: Switzerland
Locarno Pro to probe power, data and new funding models in independent cinema
- The Swiss festival's industry sidebar will bring together film professionals for a week of project showcases, training, market-focused debates and networking opportunities
Locarno Pro will return alongside the 79th Locarno Film Festival from 5–11 August, bringing together emerging talent, producers, financiers and established industry figures for a programme focused on the shifting forces shaping independent cinema.
This year's StepIn strand is built around the theme "Power, People, Data", examining how power structures, human capital and data-driven systems are reshaping the sector. The programme will open on 6 August with an Out-of-the-Box Introduction by industry analyst Stephen Follows, followed by an opening panel. Both events will be open to press and industry badge holders.
More specifically, the discussions will address the limits of conventional wisdom in the industry, the growing influence of data and algorithms, and the increasingly urgent question of how independent cinema can retain its creative autonomy amid market consolidation and the expansion of global platforms.
Financing will be one of the programme's central themes. The programme includes panels on private investment beyond traditional film-sector models, public and private financing for co-productions, Swiss regional funding, and co-financing opportunities in Uruguay, the country in focus for this year's First Look. A conversation on "Investing in Film Beyond Cinema" and a session dedicated to public-private co-production structures will take place on 7 August, while the discussion on Swiss funding is scheduled for 8 August.
The StepIn programme will culminate on 9 August with a conversation with producer Marco Perego-Saldaña, following a Cannes edition in which he had three films in the main competition. The discussion will address industry consolidation, the impact of platforms on local markets, AI's encroachment on creative decision-making, and the conditions required for independent filmmaking to remain viable.
First Look will showcase six Uruguayan works in progress, screened for industry participants from 7–9 August. The selection will be complemented by a dedicated session on co-financing opportunities in Uruguay, offering professionals a closer look at the country's production landscape and international potential.
Locarno Pro's talent development activities will once again include Alliance 4 Development, Match Me!, the Locarno Industry Academy and the U30 programme. Alliance 4 Development will host its pitching session on 7 August, presenting co-development projects from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Match Me! is designed to connect emerging producers, while the Industry Academy will run from 6–11 August for selected young professionals. The invitation-only U30 think tank, held from 7–9 August, will focus on the evolving media landscape.
Open Doors, the Festival’s long-running initiative supporting filmmaking communities from underrepresented regions, continues its four-year focus on Africa (read our news). Its Projects, Producers, Directors and Connect activities will run throughout the week, accompanied by public screenings of films from the region. The Open Doors Award Ceremony is scheduled for 10 August.
The programme also includes Swiss Films Previews and Spanish Film Previews, both open to industry badge holders, alongside a wide-ranging slate of industry screenings of titles from the Festival’s Official Selection at Cinema Rialto.
Heritage Monday, on 10 August, will focus on strategies for bringing classic cinema to new audiences. The day includes a panel discussion on the subject, restoration presentations and screenings. Among the highlights is Safi Faye’s Letter from My Village (1975), winner of last year’s Heritage Restoration Contest and newly restored by Cinegrell in collaboration with the Festival. Earlier in the week, Cinegrell’s restoration of Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves will screen in its nearly four-hour extended version on the Piazza Grande.
The second edition of the invitation-only Locarno Investment Community, developed in partnership with Oxbelly, will take place from 6–9 August. It aims to bring private funders, companies and foundations into direct contact with European independent cinema, offering both established and first-time investors a dedicated route into the sector.
Networking will centre on the Industry Lounge at Giardini Pioda, alongside daily Meet & Greets from 7–9 August, an opening reception co-hosted by Swiss Films, and a closing party co-hosted by ACAU.
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