Locarno Film Festival Puts Short Films Section Online

By Leo Barraclough

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The Locarno Film Festival ’s short films section, Pardi di Domani, will go online this year as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The section will be available from Aug. 5 through 15, with a limit of 1,590 viewers per film — the same as the number of physical admissions possible each year at Locarno for screenings of short films. The films will be accompanied by bonus content, including conversations with the directors.

Together with its partners the festival is also working on setting up a screening circuit for the short films in Swiss theaters.

As usual, entries in the competition will vie for the four main Pardini awards, plus a bouquet of other prizes.

The festival’s artistic director Lili Hinstin said: “We felt that the festival was in a position to make a significant practical contribution towards that remarkable creative laboratory that is the short film and, in the Utopian spirit that is the hallmark of Locarno, we decided to return to the original concept of the internet as a knowledge-sharing space without borders or hierarchies. With the Pardi di Domani competition online we will be attempting, together with the filmmakers, a unique and meaningful experience in festival history.”

The Pardi di Domani selection committee, made up of Tizian Büchi, Liz Harkman, Stefan Ivančić and Charlotte Corchète, commented: “Our aim is to make this edition a unique experience for the filmmakers and the audience. We will offer multiple opportunities beyond the competition selection, to offer each film a platform and a place in the history of the festival. We hope that this unique moment enables us to reach broader audiences across the international cinema community.”