IMPPA PRESIDENT ABHAY SINHA SHINES AT LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL, SWITZERLAND

At the 78th Locarno Film Festival 2025, affiliated with FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations), IMPPA President Mr. Abhay Sinha, who also serves as Vice-President of FIAPF, attended with a high-level delegation comprising IMPPA Sr. Vice-President Ms. Sushama Shiromanee and IMPPA Executive Committee Member and Hon. General Secretary of FMC (Film Makers Combine), Mr. Nishant Ujjwal fuelled by the belief that every story deserves to be heard, Indian films carry the hopes of a billion hearts.

IMPPA President Mr. Abhay Sinha and the delegation were warmly welcomed by Mr. Markus Duffner (Festival Director, Locarno Film Festival), Mr. Giona A. Nazzaro (Artistic Director, Locarno Film Festival), and Mr. Benoît Ginisty (Managing Director, FIAPF Headquarters ASBL), and they had productive discussions focused on advancing the interests of the entertainment and film industries.

A key highlight of the discussions was ‘First Look’, a powerful initiative by Locarno Film Festival and Locarno Pro. Through ‘First Look’, six feature films at the post-production stage from a designated country are selected, supported, and promoted following a submission process. These selected works are then showcased to influential buyers, sales agents, and festival programmers, with a high-level industry jury granting cash awards. This initiative also puts high emphasis on a country and its film production every year during the entire duration of the Locarno Film Festival. ‘First Look’ is co-financed by Locarno Film Festival and partners from the designated country. Discussions about having India as the designated country for ‘First Look’ in 2027 or later have been ongoing with NFDC. Having the private sector join as part of the conversation, in particular through IMPPA, was seen as a positive step forward to reach a potential conclusive outcome. 

As a token of appreciation for their warm invitation and generous hospitality, the IMPPA delegation presented a memento to Mr. Giona A. Nazzaro. They also had discussions on cementing the bond for future collaborations between Switzerland & India. This marks the beginning of a strong relationship on cinema culture, and the growing impact of global storytelling between the two countries, and also signals a new start for mutually beneficial marketing opportunities for films made by producers of both countries.

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