Open Doors, Locarno Pro’s co-production and talent development initiative, is to focus on the African continent for the next four years.
The Africa focus comes after Open Doors’ most recent cycle centred on Latin America and the Caribbean for 2022 – 2024.
Filmmakers from 42 countries in Africa can apply for the Open Doors programme, which is backed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
Submissions for the 2025 edition of Open Doors’ three main programmes - Open Doors Projects, Open Doors Producers and Open Doors Directors - are open from November 28 to January 16.
Open Doors has also renewed its artistic teams to co-develop and co-curate its content and strategy for the next four years in partnership with Yetu (Un)Limited - a panafrican, collective-based film studio. Producer and Yetu co-founder Yanis Gaye from Senegal has been appointed head of studies.
Key joining members are Ibee Ndaw, a programmer and festival manager, as programmer, and producer Tiny Mungwe and industry expert Mitchell Harper as artistic consultants.
Mungwe and Harper run the production company Ctrl Alt Shift and are involved in talent development programs through their Durban-based residency space, Ehozini Retreat. Ndaw has been active in the panafrican industry as sales agent, festival manager, and programmer, and is currently the coordinator of the Yennenga Center in Dakar.
Marjorie Bendeck, head of Open Doors Projects, Delphine Jeanneret, head of Open Doors Directors, and Julia Duarte, artistic consultant, will remain members of the artistic team.
Angolan filmmaker and programmer Fradique Bastos (Air Conditioner), Nigerian American producer and Yetu co-founder Melissa Adeyemo (Eyimofe), and Burkinabé director, screenwriter, and producer Apolline Traoré (Sira) will join Julia Duarte as part of the Open Doors Selection Committee. A fifth and final member of the team will be confirmed by the end of 2024.
Zsuzsi Bánkuti, head of Open Doors, said: “With Open Doors, our primary goal has always been to create a safe and creative space for fostering meaningful connections among film professionals within our focus region, while facilitating links with the global film industry. This new chapter is particularly exciting as we work closely with a team deeply rooted in the cinema landscape of the region.”
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