What keeps a festival alive and meaningful depends very much on where it takes place. Programmer and curator Ludmila Cvikova has experienced three very different cultural landscapes: fifteen years at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where public support for culture has deep roots; her current work in Slovakia, shaped by the more fragile conditions of Eastern Europe; and several years with the Doha Film Institute, where generous financial resources met cultural and religious restrictions. As founder and director of CINEDU, Slovakia’s only festival for children and youth, she will reflect on how different contexts shape the possibilities for programming and funding, and how festivals can translate cultural vision into sustainable projects. Rather than offering universal answers, her contribution will share experiences and open questions on the role festivals can play in their societies, especially in dialogue with younger generations of audiences.
Curator and film critic Daniela Persico will explore the role of European festivals as laboratories of sustainability and mirrors of contemporary society. Drawing on her experience as a member of the selection committee of the Locarno Film Festival, where she is also responsible for the Locarno Academy and the Locarno Residency, as well as artistic director of the Bellaria Film Festival, Persico will show how the search for new funding models can coexist with the preservation of artistic independence, creating inclusive spaces and support networks for emerging voices. Her reflection, dedicated to the way in which festivals preserve the collective memory of cinema and renew its imagery by intertwining culture, economy and vision of the future, will highlight how public support not only fuels the local economy, but also opens up entire generations to the discovery of new worlds and cultures, in the spirit of dialogue and sharing.
When: Thursday, 20 November 2025
Where: Hotel Unione, Bellinzona
Duration: 45 minutes (16.45 pm to 17.30 p.m.)
Target audience: general public, film enthusiasts, students.
