Latest news with #OpenDoorsProjects
Broadcast Pro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Nigeria and Zimbabwe win top honours at Locarno's Open Doors Awards
This year's Open Doors highlighted a new wave of African filmmakers building industry structures, like pan-regional co-productions, genre films and works for Arab or Indian audiences, to reduce reliance on European funding. Open Doors, Locarno's co-production platform and talent development program for filmmakers from equity-seeking communities and regions where artistic expression is at risk, has announced its 2025 winners. In 2025, Open Doors entered its 23rd edition with a renewed focus on 42 countries from the African continent. Six projects in development were selected for their co-production platform, Open Doors Projects, and were eligible for the three main cash prizes. Along with six creative producers who participated in the programme's career-building initiative, Open Doors Producers, and the directors of the short films of the Open Doors Screenings, who form the Open Doors Directors, they make up the full selection of this year's programme. The initiative's main award for the Open Doors Projects, the Open Doors Grant with a total value of CHF 50,000 sponsored by visions sud est (supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) and the City of Bellinzona, was divided among three projects: Black Snake, directed by Naishe Nyamubaya, produced by Sue-Ellen Chitunya (Zimbabwe) (CHF 25,000), Kachifo (Till the Morning Comes), directed by Dika Ofoma, produced by Blessing Uzzi (Nigeria) (CHF 20,000) and Journal intime d'une femme chèvre (Diary of a Goat Woman), directed by Azata Soro, produced by Nameïta Lica Touré (Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso) (CHF 5,000). Kachifo (Till the Morning Comes) by Dika Ofoma spawned two more awards: the ARTEKino International Award, worth € 6,000, and the Sørfond Award, granting the project to participate in the Sørfond pitching event in November. Les Bilokos (The Bilokos), directed by Erickey Bahati, produced by Giresse Kassonga (DR Congo, France) scooped the CNC Development Grant endowed with € 8,000. The four prizes above were selected by the Open Doors Projects Jury. The jury consisted of Madeline Robert (Manager, visions sud est), John Canciani (Artistic Director, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur), Lucie Garnier (CNC Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, DEENTAL-ACP Programme Manager), Julie Savary (ARTE France, Head of Projects) and Ana-Marija Grøndahl (Films from the South, Head of Production). Additionally, the Open Doors partners – Tabakalera-San Sebastian Film Festival, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Rotterdam International Film Festival and World Cinema Fund – provided awards to participants across the three program strands. In 2025, Open Doors partnered up for the first time with MECAS, the International Market for Almost-Finished Films. MECAS gave out an award to June Wairegi (Giza Visuals, Kenya), one of the Open Doors Producers. The prize consists of participation in the market, with the opportunity for personalised meetings and networking, including travel and accommodation costs. The next edition of MECAS will take place in Gran Canaria in April 2026.
Broadcast Pro
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Locarno Film Festival unveils Africa-focused line-up for Open Doors programme
On August 12, a panel of professional jury members will grant awards to the selected winning projects. The Locarno Film Festival has revealed the line-up for the 23rd edition of its Open Doors programme, with a renewed focus on the African continent. After completing a three-year cycle centred on Latin America and the Caribbean, the initiative shifts its attention to Africa for the next four editions, aiming to spotlight emerging filmmaking talent across the region. The 2025 edition, running from August 7 to 12 during Locarno Pro, will offer a blend of industry training, mentorship, networking and public events. Six film projects from across Africa have been selected for Open Doors Projects, the co-production platform. The line-up includes Les Bilokos, a documentary from the Democratic Republic of the Congo by director Erickey Bahati and producer Giresse Kassonga; the Ivorian-Burkinabé hybrid documentary-animation Diary of a Goat Woman by Azata Soro and Nameita Lica Toure; The Fortunate, a dark comedy from Ethiopia by Habtamu Gebrehiwot and Nahusenay Dereje; the Nigerian reincarnation-themed romance Kachifo (Till The Morning Comes) by Dika Ofoma and producer Blessing Uzzi; the Senegalese family drama Lutteurs (Fighters) from director Alassane Sy and producer Jules Dieng; and Black Snake, a supernatural mystery from Zimbabwe directed by Naishe Nyamubaya and produced by Sue-Ellen Chitunya. In parallel, the Open Doors Producers initiative has selected six producers from Angola, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The programme aims to strengthen creative production networks across Africa and support sustainable collaborative models. The chosen participants include Kamy Lara, Moustapha Sawadogo, Leul Shoaferaw, June Wairegi, Yannick Mizero Kabano and Kudakwashe Miss Maradzika. Yanis Gaye, the new Head of Studies at Open Doors said: 'The inception of the new cycle of Open Doors is an exciting marker of the role African film industries will play within the global independent film landscape in years to come. The platform designed by our passionate artistic team is a space where talents will be empowered to continue to shape the instruments, strategies, and community these filmmakers need to see their projects and careers blossom. With our programme, we aim to strengthen both the creative vision and business acumen necessary to navigate selective markets while maintaining distinctive narrative voices. Participants will acquire the frameworks to develop their production companies into sustainable creative enterprises, while exploring ways to foster more equitable international co-production partnerships.' Zsuzsi Bánkuti, Head of Open Doors, added: 'As we enter a new cycle focused on the African continent, Open Doors reaffirms its commitment to supporting filmmakers working in contexts where artistic freedom is often challenged. We are excited to welcome a strong slate of predominantly first and second-time filmmakers whose inventive approaches and formal experimentation signal a bold evolution in global cinematic storytelling. The range of perspectives represented is striking — each project brings a distinct voice that challenges narrative conventions. We aim to contribute to a stronger regional and international film ecosystem by supporting a generation of filmmakers whose diverse ideas and ways of working foster a more sustainable and collaborative film community.' The programme will culminate in a professional jury session on August 12, where financial and in-kind prizes will be awarded. These include the CHF 50,000 Open Doors Grant supported by visions sud est and the City of Bellinzona, the EUR 8,000 CNC Development Prize, and the EUR 6,000 Arte Kino International Prize. Additional industry support will come from partners such as the International Culture Center Tabakalera, the San Sebastian Film Festival, Sørfond, the World Cinema Fund, OIF, IFFR Pro, and the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur. Meanwhile, directors of selected short films will participate in the Open Doors Directors programme, gaining access to talks, workshops, and networking opportunities. Details of the short film selections will be announced on July 8, alongside the festival's official line-up. This expanded African focus marks a significant step in Locarno's commitment to fostering underrepresented cinematic voices on a global stage.
