Locarno, Karlovy Vary & Rotterdam Among European Festivals To Partner On New Platform

Zac Ntim
·2 min read

A collection of European festivals including Locarno, Thessaloniki, Tallinn Black Nights, Rotterdam, and Karlovy Vary, have partnered to create a new network aimed at integrating film professionals.

Titled Launchpad, the network will offer selected emerging film professionals working in international sales, marketing, traditional and online distribution, exhibition and programming, funds, and commissions access to a network of film festivals in the yearly calendar.

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The platform will allow participants to discover industry events either online or on-site, and be part of key industry activities. Each festival, industry platform, or market in the Launchpad network will select a maximum of 10 emerging film professionals through a public call for applications.

All the selected participants will be granted automatic access to all partner events for 12 months after their selection. Participants will also receive a free industry accreditation — either on-site or online – and those able to attend the events physically will be offered a tailor-made program and admission to all networking events. Each partner will also host an online introduction meeting and a yearly global online get-together with the Launchpad community.

The first Launchpad alumni have already been selected through the Locarno Industry Academy initiative.

Festival industry heads Markus Duffner (Head of Locarno Pro, Locarno Film Festival), Angeliki Vergou (Head of Agora, Thessaloniki International Film Festival), Marge Liiske (Head of Industry, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival), Inke Van Loocke (Head of IFFR Pro, International Film Festival Rotterdam) and Hugo Rosak (Head of Film Industry Office, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival) released a joint statement this morning.

“Film professionals in the first few years of their careers are tomorrow’s key industry players and at the same time one of the most fragile segments of our business,” the statement read.

“In our still very closed-off industry environment, they are those struggling the most to find their place or to get a proper introduction to the film business, fair treatment, and healthy opportunities to grow as professionals. With Launchpad, we want to change that. We believe that the Launchpad network is a first step towards a more inclusive and accessible film industry. This will be possible in a more open and cohesive landscape, where festival and film industry events are able to collaborate and join forces for common goals.”

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