[Filmfestivalresearch] Locarno Film Festival - A Public History Project (piazzanostra)

[Cyril Cordoba]

Hi,

Today marks the opening of the 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival (LFF) !

It's also the day when we, Joséphine Métraux<https://www.metrauxund.ch/fr> and Cyril Cordoba<cyrilcordoba.com>, historians at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), launch a public history project linked to the LFF's long history. In anticipating the festival's 80th anniversary in 2026, the Swiss National Science Foundation supported our two-part project (details here: https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/223918): a) to produce a short documentary on the first 40 years of Locarno (1946-1986); b) to collect memories on the last 40 years (1980s-2020s).

Find more information on your website (piazzanostra.ch<piazzanostra.ch/eng>) and spread the word:
["In 2026, the Locarno Film Festival will be 80 years old. Its history is also yours: those who have attended it and brought it to life. Whether you've come once or regularly; to watch films or to work backstage; whether you've suffered or benefited from it as a local resident or shopkeeper: we are interested in your memories and experiences.
Visit piazzanostra.ch/eng and share your memories. What does the festival mean to you? Do you have any photos or anecdotes to share? What comes to mind when you think of the Locarno Film Festival? Shooting stars over the Piazza Grande? People who don't speak English? An eye contact with Harrison Ford? A solar eclipse? Snoring in a youth hostel? Thunderstorms? The best risotto in Switzerland? Unstackable chairs? That, too, is Festival history!"]

Also, in this year's official guide (Il Pardo<https://www.locarnofestival.ch/media/pardo.html>), you'll find 8 historical chronicles written by Lucia Leoni and myself, summarizing the history of the Festival of Locarno.
Don't hesitate to contact us for further information, to stay informed or to take part.

Dr Cyril Cordoba
Contemporary History Department / UniDistance
MIS 04 - Office 4135
Avenue de l'Europe 20
1700 Fribourg
Switzerland

Research project
For a Political History of the Locarno Film Festival (1946-1981)<http://p3.snf.ch/project-195066>