The Locarno Film Festival's Open Doors program, which aids filmmakers from underrepresented regions globally, has announced a new team for its upcoming four-year mission: To concentrate on supporting and promoting African cinema.
The co-production and talent development initiative, which previously centered on Latin America and the Caribbean, will shift its focus to the African continent for the next four years, collaborating with the pan-African film studio collective YETU (Un)Limited to enhance the local African cinema ecosystem and increase the international presence of African filmmakers.
Yanis Gaye (Senegal), producer and co-founder of YETU, has been appointed as the head of studies for the initiative, leading a team of industry experts, many of whom have strong ties to African cinema. Ibee Ndaw from Gambia/Senegal joins as an Open Doors programmer, bringing a wealth of experience as a festival manager and sales agent. Producers Tiny Mungwe and Mitchell Harper from South Africa, with 15 years of experience in pan-African community cinema, will act as artistic consultants.
The selection committee will include notable African filmmakers such as Angolan director and programmer Fradique Bastos, Nigerian-American producer Melissa Adeyemo, and Burkinabé director Apolline Traoré. They will collaborate with Locarno’s Julia Duarte to identify and support emerging talent.
Zsuzsi Bánkuti, the head of Open Doors, stressed the program’s dedication to providing a “safe and creative space” for film professionals, underscoring the team’s profound understanding of the regional cinema landscape. Filmmakers from 42 eligible African countries are invited to apply for three main programs: Open Doors Projects, Open Doors Producers, and Open Doors Directors. Applications will be accepted from Nov. 28 to Jan. 16, 2025, and a webinar is planned for Dec. 12 this year to offer more information to interested participants.