LOCARNO OPEN DOORS TO CAUCASUS
By Nick Vivarelli

Variety Magazine
Nov 27 2012

Fest focuses on Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan

ROME — The Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors co-production mart
will focus on films from Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan this year.

The prominent Swiss fest dedicated to international indie cinema has
recruited Russian and Euro-Asian cinema expert Joel Chapron, who is
also a Unifrance collaborator, as consultant in selecting a dozen
participating projects from these countries in the region known as
South Caucasus, spanning Asia and Europe.

Film industry in this area is growing. Countries participating at
next year’s Open doors have all submitted candidates for best foreign
language at the 2013 Oscars.

Purpose of the mart/workshop, which will run Aug. 10-13, is to help
selected projects connect with co-production partners, especially
European producers.

Open Doors also assigns a prize worth 50,000 Swiss Francs ($54,000),
and other smaller cash nods offered by Gaul’s CNC and broadcaster ARTE.

The format is being modified with one-on-one meetings to be scheduled
in the morning and panels and presentations in the afternoon.

Previous editions of Open Doors have focused on Central Asia, Greater
China and, last year, Africa.

Locarno will have its 66th edition Aug. 7-17.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress