Editor

2010 Success for the first edition of Industry Days
August 9th was the final day of the highly successful and well-attended first edition of the Festival del film Locarno’s Industry Days.
900 "industry" accredited delegates attended the three days of screenings and meetings reserved for film professionals, of whom 242 were buyers from countries all over the world. First time participants included the American sales companies IFC and Visit Films, as well as Mongrel Media (Canada), 6 Sales (Spain), SND (France) and Artificial Eye (Great Britain).

The new Industry Screenings were given a particularly warm welcome, enabling buyers to view films in the Concorso internazionale (International Competition), the Concorso Cineasti del presente (Filmmakers of the Present Competition) and the Piazza Grande selection in a mere three days.

The Open Doors co-production lab, this year dedicated to central Asia, also held its working sessions during the Industry Days. 70 Swiss and international producers participated, coming to meet the directors of the 12 selected film projects: 366 meetings were organised with the help of the Festival’s Industry Office.

For Nadia Dresti, Delegate to the Artistic Direction and Head of the Festival’s Industry Office, “The success of the Industry Days proves that our initiative has met a real need amongst professionals in the sector. These few days, intended to become a permanent fixture, have reinforced the Festival’s role as a meeting place and promoter of auteur cinema. The Industry Screenings have stimulated buyers’ interest in the films presented at Locarno, and are thus facilitating their distribution in cinema networks all over the world. And by increasing the number of meetings between directors, producers and sales agents, as part of the Industry Days, we are encouraging the creation and financing of new projects.”