Major Buzz Factory: Locarno Pro and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event launch Industry Academy in Estonia

21.8.24

Locarno Pro and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event launch Industry Academy in Estonia

Locarno Pro, the industry platform of the Locarno Film Festival, and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, the meeting place for professionals at the Black Nights Film Festival, have joined forces in launching a new Industry Academy. The Tallinn Industry Academy will welcome 10 to 12 participants during this year's Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (14 to 22 November 2024). Submissions close on Thursday, 19 September 2024.

Locarno Industry Academy 2024. Credits: Locarno Film Festival / Ti-Press

Eda Koppel, who has vast experience in the industry including as Head of Marketing at the Estonian Film Institute, has been appointed as regional project manager and will coordinate the event with the supervision and support of Locarno Industry Academy Project Manager Marion Klotz.

Marge Liiske, Head of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, comments: “In Tallinn, we have a wide range of training programs for young professionals, aimed at nurturing various talents across the film industry. Our best-known initiative is the Discovery Campus, which caters to scriptwriter-director-producer teams, actors, film music composers, costume and set designers, and cinematographers. However, we identified a gap in support for sales professionals, distributors, and programmers – a gap that is now being addressed with the launch of an Industry Academy. Inspired by the success of Locarno Pro, this new program is a pivotal step in empowering the next generation. By equipping them with cutting-edge knowledge and skills, we're not just educating individuals – we're strengthening the entire industry. This initiative reflects our commitment to fostering a global network of talent that will drive the future of film and media to new heights.”

Klotz adds: “We are thrilled to launch an Academy in Tallinn, the 13th of an already strong international network, now extending to the Baltics and northern Europe. The Black Nights Film Festival, with the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, is an established and strong partner, and we are sure it is the beginning of a great collaboration that will bring a lot to the emerging professionals of the region.”

Created by the Locarno Film Festival in 2014, the Industry Academy is an intensive training program specifically aimed at emerging professionals working in international film sales, marketing, distribution, exhibition and programming, fostering their development and helping them to better understand the challenges of the industry, as well as to expand their network. It also aims to build bridges of collaboration across different markets in Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. Important in its approach is to respect the specificity of each territory, with a diverse and decentralized approach.

Since its inception, the Locarno Industry Academy has been offering workshops throughout the year in partnership with important film festivals and institutions: in Mexico with Ficunam, in Brazil with BrLab, in Chile with Sanfic, in Colombia with BAM - Bogotá Audiovisual Market, in Costa Rica with MAUCC, in cooperation with Comisión Fílmica de Costa Rica y Procomer, in Greece with the Thessaloniki Film Festival, in the US with NYC-based Film at Lincoln Center, in India with FilmBazaar, in Southern Africa with the Realness Institute, and in Beirut with MC Distribution and BCP.

The Industry Academy is possible thanks to the support of the Federal Office of Culture / MEDIA Desk Suisse and the collaboration of three pan-European organizations (Europa Cinemas, Europa Distribution and Europa International).