News  ·  26 | 06 | 2023

Applications open for the Audience Academy

Following the success of last year, the intensive program to discover the behind-the-scenes of the Festival and become more aware spectators is back, allowing participants to play a leading role in Locarno76.

© Locarno Film Festival

Not only film professionals: since last year, the Locarno Film Festival’s Academy project has also been extended to one of the fundamental components of the event, which is its audience. Thus, an intensive program has been launched that allows participants representing various types of spectators to experience the Festival in depth, learning about its mechanisms and exploring the enchantment of the seventh art up close. The project was conceived in collaboration with UBS, so that the UBS Audience Award – where the audiences of Piazza Grande have been able to reward films that have become protagonists of the cinematic season over the years – can also become a laboratory to educate a more aware audience, which in turn can provide valuable tools and suggestions to the Locarno audience. 

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Putting the audience first

Who said that the audience is simply the recipient of the Festival's offerings? With the Audience Academy, spectators also become part of the great laboratory which, in recent years, has been redefining the characteristics of the event through moments of shared reflection and creativity. 

Each year, with a different theme, the Audience Academy during Locarno76 will invite the twelve participants to reflect on the theme "How to Experience the Festival on a Budget", and thus to identify and discover solutions, even firsthand, to make the Festival an even more accessible space. 

From August 10th to 12th, the selected individuals will be able to stay at the 4-star Hotel Arcadia with breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided by the Festival, and they will have access to an exclusive and personalized program focused on five main areas: Cinema, Experience, Networking, Glamour, and Behind the Scenes. They will be guided throughout the entire journey, attending not only screenings but also talks, masterclasses, and activities that will allow them to deepen their knowledge of what the Festival has to offer. The goal is to shed light on current opportunities and their accessibility. 

In addition, participants will have the opportunity to meet and interact with the most prominent personalities of the Festival, such as Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro, Chief Innovation Officer Simona Gamba, the responsible for the Filmmakers Academy and Project Manager of BaseCamp Stefano Knuchel, and the Head of Open Doors, Zsuzsi Bánkuti. These meetings, where direct questions can be asked, will help to further understand the choices and reasons underlying the Festival's offerings. There will also be room for reflections and discussions, as well as sharing of one's knowledge and insights, to develop what could enhance the audience's experience in Locarno. 

The twelve participants will be selected based on their cultural background, age group, gender, and interests in order to represent the diverse souls of the Locarno audience. All details are provided in the announcement, which can be accessed starting today.