Open Doors at Locarno Film Festival Faces Major Reductions Amid Swiss Budget Cuts

14 August 2024 | Source
Locarno Film Festival's Open Doors program in Switzerland will drastically reduce its activities starting January 2025 due to a 25% budget cut imposed by its main funder, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This reduction, part of a broader reallocation of Swiss funds for Ukraine's reconstruction, will severely impact cultural diversity at the festival, limit participation, and reduce support for filmmakers from the Global South.

The Open Doors program, a cornerstone of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, is set to undergo significant reductions in its activities from January 2025. This change comes as a result of a 25% cut in funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The decision is linked to Switzerland's broader reallocation of resources, including a $1.7 billion commitment to the reconstruction of Ukraine under the International Cooperation Strategy 2025-28.

Zsuzsi Bánkuti, head of Open Doors, confirmed the upcoming financial constraints, stating, "[This will] directly lead to a cut to the Open Doors year-round activities, including the consultancy, therefore cancelling a possible support for 60 filmmakers each year, a decrease of 25% in participants in the main Open Doors programme, and SDC support of travel expenses for filmmakers of the official selection coming from the Global South being reduced to an estimated 50%, limiting the possibility of those filmmakers to attend the event."

The budget reduction will not only curtail the number of filmmakers who can participate in the program but will also impact the festival’s cultural diversity, as fewer participants from the Global South will have the opportunity to attend. Additionally, the staffing and operational resources of Open Doors will be reduced, affecting the stability of jobs for young professionals within the organization.

The funding cuts will also have broader implications for Swiss cultural initiatives. A joint statement issued by several cultural organizations, including the Locarno Film Festival, the Visions Sud Est production fund, and the Zürcher Theater Spektakel, highlighted the severe consequences for international artists from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The statement warned that "decades of development work will be irrevocably lost," leading to a "downward spiral for artists and cultural diversity."

The Visions Sud Est fund, which supports projects from the Global South and East, faces a particularly uncertain future. Philippe Clivaz, president of Visions Sud Est, noted that the SDC’s decision to withdraw its support by October 2026 could lead to the closure of the fund, which has been instrumental in bringing international projects to prominent global festivals.

Open Doors and its affiliated programs have been crucial in fostering international collaboration and cultural exchange. However, the upcoming budget cuts will significantly hinder their ability to support emerging filmmakers and maintain the cultural diversity that has been a hallmark of the Locarno Film Festival.

The 22nd edition of Open Doors, focusing on Latin America, concluded on August 11, 2024, marking the end of a significant chapter in its history. As the program faces these challenges, the future of many international projects and the festival’s global reach remain in jeopardy.

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