Locarno Festival has chosen Lili Hinstin as its new artistic director. She will begin Dec. 1, replacing previous director Carlo Chatrian, who is taking over as artistic director of the Berlinale.
Paris-born Hinstin has been the artistic director of the Entrevues Belfort Festival International du Film in France since 2013. In 2001, she set up production company Les Films du Saut du Tigre. From 2005 to 2009, she led film-related activities of the Academy of France in Rome and, from 2011 to 2013, served as the deputy artistic director of Paris-based International Film Festival Cinema du Reel.
Locarno Festival recently signed the Programming Pledge for Parity and Cinema Festivals introduced by the Swiss Women’s Audiovisual Network, making it the first A-list festival after Cannes to sign the pledge. It commits to reaching parity in executive leadership at the earliest opportunity, which it has done in a big way with Hinstin’s appointment.
“Lili Hinstin emerged as the candidate who, more than any other, corresponded to the profile sought by the Presidency, the Executive Board and the Board of Governors for the person to be in charge of the artistic direction of the Locarno Festival,” said Locarno Festival president Marco Solari.
“Our objective now is that the Festival’s coming editions, and the 75th anniversary, will be a decisive step in reaching 2022 with a Festival that, while never denying its past, will also have interpreted the ongoing changes in world society and in filmmaking in general, thanks to the expertise and sensibilities of its Artistic Director and the efficiency of its Operating Officer and their teams,” he continued.
“I am very pleased to be taking up the post of Artistic Director of the Locarno Festival. It is an honor, because this is a Festival that, over the years, has become a benchmark for cinephiles worldwide,” said Hinstin of the announcement. “I will be putting all my experience and passion into taking forward this project of freedom and discovery.”
The 72nd Locarno Festival takes place Aug. 7-17, 2019.
