Locarno Open Doors Program Unveils Winners, Sets New Africa Focus

Open Doors, the co-production and talent development program for artists from underrepresented communities around the world that is part of the Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro industry strand, unveiled its 2024 winners on Tuesday.

Eight projects in development were selected for its co-production platform, the Projects Hub, and were eligible for the three main cash prizes. In addition, nine producers participated in the program’s talent incubator, the Producers Lab, while the directors of the films of the Open Doors Screenings, who form the Directors Club, made up the rest of this year’s program.

The initiative’s biggest award for the Projects Hub, the so-called Open Doors Grant, was divided among four projects: Salvación by Ernesto Bautista, and El único tiempo by Paz Encina, which both got bigger grants, as well as La levedad de ella by Rosa María Rodriguez, and Huaco retrato by Fernando Luis Mendoza Salazar. Paraguay’s Encina is known for the 2022 documentary Eami about Paraguay’s indigenous community whose homeland is invaded by settlers, while the other winners are first-time fiction feature filmmakers.

The Projects Hub jury consisted of the head of programming at Films From the South, Lasse Skagen, president of the ARTEKino Foundation and delegate managing director of ARTE France Cinéma Rémi Burah, Sophie Loyrette, the project manager for co-production and international cooperation at CNC, co-director of Trigon-film Meret Ruggle, and project manager of Visions Sud Est Madeline Robert.

The Tuesday awards ceremony marked the end of a three-year focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Patricia Danzi, director general of Open Doors’ main partner, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), also unveiled that the program will focus on the African continent for the next four editions.

“Arts and culture are engines for social change and creativity and contribute to social cohesion and peace,” she said. “Hence, they are indispensable for societal progress.”

Added Open Doors head Zsuzsi Bánkuti: “After three successful years of focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean, we are excited to announce that our attention will now shift to the African continent for the next four years. This transition is not just about changing our focus, but about expanding our work. We plan to foster strong collaborations between Latin America, the Caribbean and the African continent, ensuring that the connections of the previous years continue while forming new ones.” She added: “Our goal is to create a connected and thriving network that benefits all regions.”

Check out the full Open Doors 2024 winners below.

Open Doors Grant
A total of CHF 50,000 ($57,710), sponsored by Visions Sud Est (with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), the City of Bellinzona, and the Open Doors initiative.

CHF 20,000 ($23,088) to Salvación by Ernesto Bautista, produced by Melissa Guevara (Burn and Die Films), El Salvador/Mexico.

Description: A key figure in the Salvadoran civil war lies in an anonymous bed in a hospital. On television, the moral judgment of this man as a hero or a villain is debated. In the last 12 minutes of his life, this old man has another major trial in his dreams.

Jury statement: “For a proposal that portrays often overlooked post-war processes, with a very strong artistic approach, non-chronological storytelling and with a poetic and intimate vision that renews the idea of genre. A project about a situation from the past of one of the small countries of Latin America that we never hear from that resonates today all around the world.”

CHF 20,000 ($23,088) to El único tiempo by Paz Encina, produced by Gabriela Sabaté (Sabaté Films) and Julio Chavezmontes (Piano), Paraguay/Mexico/Germany.

Description: When Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner is overthrown, a family must decide what to do now that freedom has arrived.

Jury statement: “For a very convincing project and a filmmaker with a clear voice and dedication we would like to give an award to a film that delicately explores themes of exile and the longing for the return of the disappeared.”

CHF 5,000 ($5,772) to La levedad de ella by Rosa María Rodriguez, produced by Armando Capó Ramos (GatoRosafilms), Martha Orozco (Martfilms) and Cristina Gallego (Ciudad Lunar), Cuba/Mexico/ Colombia.

Description: Nora, 42, upon learning that her cancer has returned and seeing the lump growing in her belly, decides to tell everyone that she is pregnant. She discontinues medical treatment, as the options offered by the country’s deteriorated health care system only imply pain, poor quality of life and her loved ones’ suffering. She moves away from her fifteen-year marriage and into an impoverished neighborhood.

Jury statement: “For a sensitive, intimate approach to the question of freedom of choice in the face of life and death, from a woman’s point of view, in a raw, realistic film.”

CHF 5,000 ($5,772) to Huaco retrato by Fernando Luis Mendoza Salazar, produced by Silvia Eisleen Arellano Rojas (Cybermuchik Cine), Peru.

Description: In a small Peruvian town, rebellious Renzo, 16, dreams of becoming a professional gamer. But his father, a former ancient tombs looter, doesn’t approve. Renzo runs away and takes refuge in a gaming center in the city, where he trains to reach the big leagues

Jury statement: “This film particularly convinced the jury for its innovative blend of cultural heritage, history, and modern video games, set in a region often overlooked within the country.”

CNC Development Grant
€8,000 ($8,742) for development provided by CNC – Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée

Ovnis en el Trópico by Rob Mendoza, produced by Isabel Carrasco (Cinema Verano), Ecuador.

Description: Ecuador, 1999. Raul Castillo, 55, an orchid grower, experiences a rare UFO encounter in the tropical mountains of Buenaventura, his mining town. A luminous being warns him of a cancer pandemic due to mining pollution.

ARTEKino International Award
€6,000 ($6,557) for development provided by ARTEKino.

El único tiempo by Paz Encina, produced by Gabriela Sabaté (Sabaté Films) and Julio Chavezmontes (Piano), Paraguay / Mexico / Germany

PARTNER AWARDS

Sørfond Award
Participation at the Sørfond pitching event in November, including travel and accommodation.

El único tiempo, by Paz Encina, produced by Gabriela Sabaté (Sabaté Films) and Juliio Chavezmontes (Piano), Paraguay/Mexico/Germany.

Tabakalera-San Sebastian Film Festival Residency Award
A residency in Tabakalera and taking part in the industry activities of the San Sebastian Film Festival, given in collaboration with the International Culture Center Tabakalera and San Sebastian Film Festival.

Luis Flores Alvarenga (Thau Honduras), participant Producers Lab, Honduras

Open Doors – BR Lab Award
Participation at the project development workshop BR Lab in São Paulo in October 2024 with travel and accommodation covered, provided by BR Lab.

Salvación by Ernesto Bautista, produced by Melissa Guevara (Burn and Die Films), El Salvador / Mexico

Open Doors – Moulin d’Andé-CECI Award
Writing residency for the director of a first or second feature film project in development, with accommodation covered and a contribution to travel costs, provided by the Moulin d’Andé-CECI and the Locarno Film Festival.

Rob Mendoza, director Ovnis en el Trópico, Ecuador

Rotterdam Lab Award
Provided by the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). One of the Producers’ Lab participants is offered the opportunity to take part in the next Rotterdam Lab, including accommodation covered by the International Film Festival Rotterdam along with a contribution to the travel costs by the Locarno Film Festival.

Yamila Marrero (CRISÁLIDA Producciones), participant at Producers Lab, Cuba

Open Doors – World Cinema Fund Audience Strategy Award
The award provided by World Cinema Fund offers a specific program tailored and geared to closely follow the development of an audience engagement strategy.

Huaco retrato by Fernando Luis Mendoza Salazar, produced by Silvia Eisleen Arellano Rojas (Cybermuchik Cine), Peru

Open Doors – OIF – ACP – EU Award
This collaboration provides a project or participant from an ACP country of the focus region with a consultancy for up to 18 months, script/treatment analysis, story editing and polishing of the film dossier based on the specific needs of the awarded project. Provided by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

Un funeral para Lola by Iván de Lara, produced by José María Pimentel (Mostly Productions), Dominican Republic.