Following the successful 2015 pilot project, the Locarno Industry Days presents the first edition of Alliance for Development (6-8 August 2016), an initiative created out of a common purpose with the three bilateral co-development funds between France, Germany and Italy, which intends to better connect French-, Italian- and German-speaking countries, with a strong anchor at the centre of Europe: Switzerland.

Alliance for Development’s concrete aim is to encourage early-stage co-development and long-term organic cooperation between these countries. Eight projects were chosen from among the bilateral co-development funds existing between the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC, France), the Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo (MiBACT, Italy) and the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA, Germany). Switzerland, as their natural co-producing partner, hosts this new annual rendezvous supported by the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) in the context of the MEDIA compensatory measures. To encourage a stronger Swiss involvement, considering Switzerland does not share a similar development bilateral fund, three Swiss projects looking for German, French and Italian co-producers were selected to join the initiative as special guests.

"Alliance for Development gives the chosen projects an opportunity to match with the professionals attending the Locarno Industry Days, highlighting the best assets of each country involved and together aiming to create a solid market-oriented model,” said Nadia Dresti, delegate to the artistic direction and head of international.

This initiative should not be seen as a co-production platform, but rather as an annual meeting point for professionals, allowing them to evaluate their projects during the development phase, meet with regional film commissions and funds, and get to know their neighbouring countries and markets better. Despite this four-country focus, the event will also be open to professionals from other German-, Italian- and French-speaking countries who would be interested in coming on board those projects as potential partners. Alliance for Development is a crossroads for the film professionals of these linguistic regions, which allows them to test their market potential and to find natural opportunities for early-stage creative and financing partnerships.

The chosen teams (director/producer) will come to the Locarno Industry Days to present and discuss their projects in a tailor-made programme designed by project manager Lucas Rosant, including individual meetings with potential partners, plenary sessions, panels and discussions, and networking activities. 

The 2016 projects chosen from among the bilateral co-development funds are:

Controvento - Massimiliano Zanin (MiBACT, Italy/CNC, France)
Producer: Frederico Lami, Wave SRL

Hope - Ivan Cappiello (MiBACT, Italy/CNC, France)
Producer: Luciano Stella, MAD Entertainment

Samia – (MiBACT, Italy/FFA, Germany)
Producer: Simone Catania, Indyca SRL

Scelsi, le premier mouvement de l'immobile -Sebastiano d’Ayala Valva (CNC, France/MiBACT, Italy)
Producer: Nicolas Lesoult, Les Films de la Butte

Elisabeth - Guido Chiesa (CNC, France/MiBACT, Italy)
Producer: Marie Gutmann, Méroé Films

La Nuit Allemande - Claus Drexel (CNC, France/FFA, Germany)
Producer: Florent Lacaze, Daisy Day Films

Genosse Stalin Saved My Life - Kamila Kubiak (FFA, Germany/CNC, France)
Producer: Nicole Ringhut, Belle Epoque Films GmbH

Children of the Ice - Stefano Lodovichi (FFA, Germany/MiBACT, Italy)
Producer: Jakob Weydemann, Weydemann Bros

The Guard - Giulio Ricciarelli (FFA, Germany/MiBACT, Italy)
Producer: Oliver Schütte, tellfilm Deutschland UG

Chosen from among the 2016 submissions for project development within the Swiss MEDIA compensatory measures:

Taub - Tobias Nölle (Switzerland)
Producer: Simon Jaquemet, 8horses

Les Ombres Rouges - Aude Py
Producer: Britta Rindelaub, Alva Film

BuraNEST - Dodo Hunziker
Producer: Urs Schnell, DokLab