ISLAMABAD: Head of the Locarno Film Festival on Tuesday invited filmmakers to the festival and said the event will provide an opportunity for people connected to the film industry to share their experiences and benefit from the work being done across the world.

Delivering a lecture at the Pakistan National Council of Arts, Sophie Bourdon said the Locarno Film Festival is aimed at reviving the film industry across the world.

“Under our open-door policy, we encourage filmmakers to choose different topics for their films,” she said.

The Locarno Film Festival is an annual event held in August in Switzerland. Founded in 1946, it s one of the longest-running film festivals and is regarded as a prestigious platform.

Ms Bourdon said films are selected for screening at the event and that the festival also provides filmmakers with financial support. She urged filmmakers to make use of the open-door policy of the film festival.

Ms Bourdon said that in order to introduce the festival’s audience to South Asian films and the cultural landscape of the region, a number of films are selected each year for the Open Door Screening, a non-competitive section of the Locarno Festival.

She said the audience wants to see films on various topics and also stressed on the importance of good marketing.

The Open Door Programme will be held from Aug 1 to 11, 2018 in Locarno as part of the 71st edition of the festival.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2018