The Board of Directors of the Locarno Film Festival have approved Maja Hoffmann, founder of the LUMA Foundation. Her name was put forward by the appointment committee tasked with finding a successor to Marco Solari, whose members are Edna Epelbaum and Francesco Lurati, with Mario Timbal as coordinator. the committee had drawn up a short list of possible candidates, headed by Maja Hoffmann, who was approved unanimously by the Board of Directors.
Maja Hoffmann is now set to become the first woman to take on the role of president of the Locarno Film Festival. Departing president Marco Solari will assist Ms. Hoffmann during the transition phase, which will begin following the close of this year’s 76th edition of the event.
Maja Hoffmann thanked the committee and the Board of Directors of the Locarno Film Festival for having chosen her as designated president: “My thanks go to the appointment committee and the Board of Directors for the trust they have shown in me. After spending many years exploring and putting into practice a range of projects, both in Switzerland and abroad, I am pleased to be able to put my experience and knowhow at the service of the future of this prestigious Festival, and so help foster the development of culture in Switzerland. Locarno has always displayed a robust identity, which is vital to strengthening the positioning of the Festival internationally.”
Marco Solari, outgoing President of the Locarno Film Festival stated. “This designation, together with the revised forms of governance, will guarantee for Canton Ticino and Switzerland a robust Festival with enormous potential. I am delighted that Maja Hoffmann has accepted, because I am quite certain that her exceptional experience in the art, film and multimedia fields will enable her to lead the Festival towards a new phase in its history, in a scenario where the fundamental requirement is to focus on the excellence of our cultural offering.” –
Other changes to the Festival’s governance will be submitted to an Extraordinary General Meeting on 20 September. If approved, the overhaul will see the membership of the Board of Directors reduced from 27 to 7, while two new consultative bodies will be introduced: the Policy Advisory Board and the Industry Advisory Board. Thanks to their specific sectorial expertise, the two new boards will provide support for the Board of Directors in its strategic planning. As of now, the Board of Directors wishes to thank Marco Solari for the fundamental contribution he has made to the event during more than two decades as president, and for the skillful way he has led the work of its directors, guaranteeing the growth and development of the Festival in the new millennium and consolidating its position at the international level.
