Locarno Film Festival has opened applications for its 2026 Open Doors program, continuing its mission to support emerging filmmakers across Africa.
The professional training and development initiative, which helped propel Nigeria’s Kachifo by Dika Ofoma and Blessing Uzzi to a major win in 2025, has set a January 15 deadline for submissions.
The call for entries for Lacarno’s professional program, Projects, Producers and Directors, was announced on Instagram, seeking director-producer teams, creative producers, and directors from across 42 African countries.
Aimed at supporting emerging stories from Africa, the intensive 3-month program is divided into two months online sessions from June to July 2026 while the last month will feature an on-site session in August 2026 during the 79th Locarno Film Festival (August 5-15).
The Open Doors program runs annually under the Locarno Pro Label, offering filmmakers training and co-production platforms, career-building workshops for creative producers, and creative and industry workshops for directors.
Among previous participants of the Open Doors program aside from Uzzi and Ofoma include Naishe Nyamubaya, Azata Soro and Erickey Bahati, all big winners who have received funding grants for their creative projects.
As an initiative of the annual Locarno Film Festival, Open Doors is particularly concerned with championing filmmaking in regions, where independent filmmaking faces challenges while fostering collaborations.