Overview
Open Doors is the Locarno Film Festival's co-production platform and talent development program for filmmakers from regions where artistic expression is under threat or structurally underfunded. Founded in 2003, the program is now in the second year of a four-year cycle (2025-2028) dedicated exclusively to 42 countries across the African continent. The 2026 edition selected 6 feature film projects in development, 6 creative producers, and 5 directors from across Africa, bringing them to Locarno for co-production meetings, training, and networking with international partners.
The program runs in two phases: online sessions between June and July 2026, followed by an on-site residency from August 5 to 10, 2026, during the 79th Locarno Film Festival and its industry strand, Locarno Pro. At the end of the on-site program on August 10, a jury of industry professionals awards cash and in-kind prizes to selected winning projects. The top prize is the Open Doors Grant of CHF 50,000 (approximately USD 57,000), sponsored by Visions Sud Est and the City of Bellinzona. Additional prizes include the CNC Development Prize of EUR 8,000, the Arte Kino International Prize of EUR 6,000, and a new EAVE Marketing Workshop scholarship worth EUR 4,000 from EAVE and the Luxembourg Film Fund.
For African filmmakers with a first or second feature in development, Open Doors provides direct access to international co-producers, distributors, sales agents, and festival programmers who attend Locarno Pro. The program does not charge a submission fee. Applications are submitted directly through the Open Doors portal with a required project dossier in English.
Key Sections
- Open Doors Projects - 6 feature-length projects (first or second features) in development from eligible African countries; director-producer teams receive preparatory coaching and meet with potential international partners
- Open Doors Producers - 6 creative producers from eligible countries selected for a training and networking workshop focused on company development and cross-border co-production relationships
- Open Doors Directors - 5 directors selected for talks, workshops, and industry networking; their short films screen as part of the Open Doors Screenings program
- Open Doors Screenings - public screenings of completed films from the focus region, including short films by the selected directors
- ToolBox - a year-round knowledge-sharing and networking platform for filmmakers and producers from Open Doors' current and past focus regions, accessible 365 days a year
- Open Doors Talks - public discussions and masterclasses during the festival focusing on cinema from the focus region
Eligibility and Application
Eligible countries (42): Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Not eligible: Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia.
Projects program requirements:
- The director must be a citizen of one of the 42 eligible countries
- The producer can be of another nationality, but if the director and producer are the same person, the production company must be registered in an eligible country
- Projects must be feature-length (first or second feature)
- No initial financing is required to apply
- No budget range restrictions, but applicants must consider the impact of international co-production on their estimated budget
Producers program requirements:
- The applying producer must be a citizen of one of the 42 eligible countries
- Must have a registered production company in one of those countries
- Must be active in the region, supporting their regional and local film industry
- Applies with a slate of projects representing their company
Directors program requirements:
- The applying director must be a citizen of one of the 42 eligible countries
- Can apply with a maximum of 2 short films directed and completed within the last 5 years
- Selected directors' short films screen as part of Open Doors Screenings
Application process:
- Submissions must be completed in English
- A detailed dossier (project overview, development strategy, financing plan, supporting materials) is required for Projects and Producers, submitted as a single PDF
- The application deadline for the 2026 edition was January 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM CET
- The new call for applications opens in November each year
- Applicants are notified by mid-April 2026
- An information webinar was held on November 26, 2025, covering eligibility, application preparation, and program expectations
Major Awards and Prizes
- Open Doors Grant - CHF 50,000 (approximately USD 57,000), sponsored by Visions Sud Est and the City of Bellinzona, awarded to a winning project
- CNC Development Prize - EUR 8,000, from the Centre National du Cinema et de l'Image Animee (France)
- Arte Kino International Prize - EUR 6,000, from the Franco-German broadcaster Arte
- EAVE Marketing Workshop Scholarship - EUR 4,000, new in 2026, from EAVE and the Luxembourg Film Fund
- AFP Critics Prize - USD 500 cash award plus a certificate and ongoing editorial coverage across African Film Press's three founding publications (Akoroko, Sinema Focus, and What Kept Me Up)
- Additional in-kind awards from industry partners
2026 Selected Projects
The 2026 Open Doors Projects selected 6 first and second features from 10 different African countries:
- Accept My Plea for Burial (Baryo Aas Iga Gudoon) - dir. Mohammed Sheikh (Somalia), prod. Kadir Harbi Hassan, Aleel Films (Djibouti); fiction exploring tensions between tradition and justice in a rural community
- Chapa 100 - dir. Ique Langa (Mozambique), prod. Lara Sousa, Kulunga Filmes (Mozambique/South Africa); an urban, surrealist love story
- I Live in V.I. - dir. Ugochukwu Azuya (Nigeria), prod. Olubunmi Ogunsola, Ensemble (Nigeria); a social satire about urban space and gentrification
- The Ones With the Tempered Flowers - dir. Neema Ngelime (Tanzania), prod. Ivy Kiru, AQ Pictures/LBx Africa (Kenya); an experimental documentary on womanhood and motherhood
- Too Much Music - dir. and prod. Aseye Fiagbe, Aseye Fiagbe Creative Studio (Ghana); a documentary portrait of Ghanaian keyboard prodigy Kiki Gyan
- A Vineyard for A Lobster - dir. Talemwa Pius (Uganda), prod. Gashumba Emmanuel, Gripmagic Uganda Limited (Uganda); fiction using a snow-covered landscape as an allegory for colonialism
The 2026 Open Doors Producers selected 6 participants: Mamounata Nikiema (Burkina Faso, Pilumpiku Production), Natasha Craveiro (Cabo Verde, Korikaxoru Films), Adja Mariam Mahre Soro (Ivory Coast, Studio Ka), David Ikeata (Nigeria, Vox Cinematic Films), Rua Osman (Sudan, Helomur Picture), and Tapiwa Chipfupa (Zimbabwe, Ambidextrous Pictures).
The 2026 Open Doors Directors selected 5 participants: Fagamou Fama Ndiaye (Senegal), Rediet Haddis Yalew (Ethiopia), Pocas Pascoal (Angola), Judith Nini Kibinge (Kenya), and Ariel Anez (Mozambique).
Past Winners
Open Doors does not award completed films. It awards projects in development and emerging talent. The prizes fund production and provide industry access, not retrospective recognition.
2026 Open Doors Grant (CHF 50,000 total)
The 2026 Open Doors Grant was split across three projects from the 6 selected:
- *A Vineyard for A Lobster* - dir. Talemwa Pius (Uganda), prod. Emmanuel Gashumba. CHF 20,000. A magic realist fable where snow falls overnight in an equatorial village, sparking colonial-era tensions. The project also won the Tabakalera-San Sebastian Film Festival Residency Award.
- *Accept My Plea for Burial - dir. Mohammed Sheikh (Somalia/Djibouti), prod. Kadir Harbi. CHF 20,000. A social drama about a disputed death in a Somali pastoral village, exploring justice through customary law. Sheikh's previous film Barni* debuted at the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2025.
- *Too Much Music* - dir. and prod. Aseye Fiagbe (Ghana). CHF 10,000. A documentary portrait of Ghanaian keyboard prodigy Kiki Gyan.
The 2026 CNC Development Grant (EUR 8,000) went to Chapa 100 (Mozambique), dir. Ique Langa, prod. Lara Sousa.
2025 Open Doors Grant (CHF 50,000 total)
The 2025 edition was the first year of the Africa focus:
- *Black Snake* - dir. Naishe Nyamubaya (Zimbabwe), prod. Sue-Ellen Chitunya. CHF 25,000. A supernatural mystery blending grounded drama with magical realism in Zimbabwe's eastern highlands. The jury praised its "sensitive and powerful creative vision."
- *Kachifo (Till the Morning Comes)* - dir. Dika Ofoma (Nigeria), prod. Blessing Uzzi. CHF 20,000. A reincarnation romance spanning pre-colonial Igbo society and modern-day Nigeria. Also won the ArteKino International Prize (EUR 6,000) and the Sørfond Award.
- *Diary of a Goat Woman* - dir. Azata Soro (Ivory Coast/Burkina Faso). CHF 5,000. A poetic reflection on transmission and resistance through a woman who refuses submission.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Open Doors has incubated projects that went on to major international success. The program's alumni network spans hundreds of filmmakers across the Global South.
- *Atlantics* (Mati Diop, Senegal) - Diop brought early project material to Open Doors in 2012, when the focus targeted Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa. The completed film won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, making Diop the first Black female director to win a Cannes prize. Netflix acquired the film for distribution.
- *I Am Not a Witch* (Rungano Nyoni, Zambia/UK) - Nyoni participated in Open Doors in 2014, when the focus expanded to 25 Sub-Saharan countries. The completed film won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer in 2018. It was Zambia's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The film streamed on Netflix and Amazon.
- *You Will Die at Twenty (Amjad Abu Alala, Sudan) - Produced by Rua Osman, a 2026 Open Doors Producers participant. The film won the Lion of the Future Award at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. It was Sudan's first-ever Academy Award submission. Rua Osman's company Helomur Picture also produced Goodbye Julia*, the first Sudanese film selected for Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2023).
- *Mami Wata* (C.J. "Fiery" Obasi, Nigeria) - Obasi, who created the 2025 Open Doors promotional spots, premiered this film at Sundance 2023 where it won the Cinematography Award. It became Nigeria's official entry for the 2024 Academy Awards. Dekanalog distributed it theatrically in North America.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
Open Doors is a development platform, not a screening festival. Your application strategy should reflect this difference.
Apply with the right project stage. Open Doors Projects accepts first or second features in development. Do not submit completed films. The program pairs you with potential co-producers, distributors, and sales agents who attend Locarno Pro. Your project should be far enough along to pitch credibly but early enough that co-production partners can shape the financing.
Prepare a thorough dossier in English. The application requires a detailed project dossier as a single PDF, including project overview, development strategy, financing plan, and supporting materials. The dossier is your pitch document. It must demonstrate both artistic vision and production feasibility to international partners who may have no context for your country's film industry.
Check your country eligibility carefully. The current cycle (2025-2028) covers 42 African countries. North African countries (Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria) and South Africa are not eligible. If your country is not on the list, you cannot apply this cycle. The previous cycle covered regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Producers should apply with a slate, not a single project. The Open Doors Producers program evaluates your company's overall direction and cross-border co-production potential. Show how your company supports the regional film industry, not just one film.
Directors should submit short films completed within the last 5 years. The Open Doors Directors program screens selected directors' short films as part of Open Doors Screenings. You can apply with a maximum of 2 short films.
No submission fee and no initial financing required. Unlike most festival-affiliated programs, Open Doors charges nothing to apply. You also do not need initial financing in place. The program is designed to help you secure financing through co-production meetings.
Industry Reputation Notes
Open Doors occupies a distinctive position among festival-affiliated development programs. Its closest peers are the Berlinale World Cinema Fund and the Cannes Cinéfondation, but Open Doors operates differently from both.
The Berlinale World Cinema Fund provides production funding to filmmakers from specific regions. Open Doors goes further by bringing selected filmmakers to Locarno for in-person co-production meetings, training, and networking. The CHF 50,000 grant pool is supplemented by partner prizes from CNC, Arte Kino, EAVE, and others, bringing total cash and in-kind awards to over CHF 70,000 plus workshop scholarships.
The Cannes Cinéfondation focuses on film students and emerging directors with completed short films. Open Doors targets filmmakers from regions where "artistic expression is at risk or structurally underfunded," regardless of institutional affiliation. This geographic focus makes Open Doors more accessible to filmmakers working outside formal film education systems.
Industry professionals attend Open Doors specifically to meet filmmakers from regions they cannot easily access. The program's 4-year Africa cycle (2025-2028) allows sustained engagement that annual rotating focuses cannot achieve. Variety noted that the 2025 edition highlighted "a new generation of directors and producers realigning African output" and building "industry structures that might break with a dependence on European funding."
The no-fee policy is unusual for a program of this scale and prestige. Most festival labs and markets charge application fees. Open Doors' free application makes it accessible to filmmakers regardless of financial resources, which aligns with its mission of supporting underfunded regions.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Open Doors is not a film festival in the traditional sense. It is a development and co-production platform. Filmmakers do not submit completed films for screening; they submit projects in development and apply for professional development programs. The value is in the co-production meetings, training, and grants, not in audience screenings.
The CHF 50,000 Open Doors Grant is one of the largest development grants available through a festival-affiliated program. Unlike many festival prizes tied to completed films, this grant funds ongoing development and production. The additional prizes (CNC, Arte Kino, EAVE) bring the total cash and in-kind award pool to over CHF 70,000 plus workshop scholarships.
The program's geographic focus rotates on a multi-year cycle. The current cycle (2025-2028) is dedicated to 42 African countries. Filmmakers from North Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria) and South Africa are not eligible under the current cycle. The previous cycle covered regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Filmmakers should check the Open Doors website for the current focus region before applying.
The year-round ToolBox platform extends the program's value beyond the August residency. Alumni from all previous focus regions can use the ToolBox for ongoing networking, feedback on projects, and career guidance from the Open Doors team.
No submission fee is charged. This is unusual for a festival-affiliated program of this scale and makes Open Doors accessible to filmmakers regardless of their financial resources.
Festival History
Open Doors was founded in 2003 as part of Locarno's commitment to expanding the geographic diversity of its program. The initiative has supported filmmakers from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East over more than two decades, adapting its focus region every few years to concentrate resources where they are most needed.
The current four-year cycle (2025-2028) represents a structural shift: instead of rotating regions annually, Open Doors dedicates four consecutive editions to the African continent, allowing deeper engagement with 42 countries over multiple years. This extended focus enables the program to build sustained relationships with African film industries and track project development across multiple editions.
Open Doors has helped launch numerous international co-productions. Projects developed through the program have gone on to screen at major festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto, and have received distribution in multiple territories. The program's alumni network spans hundreds of filmmakers across the Global South.
The 2025 edition was the first year of the Africa focus. The 2026 edition is the second, with two more Africa-focused editions planned for 2027 and 2028.
Watch: Trailers and Interviews
See Also
For the parent festival, see Locarno Film Festival. For international co-production strategy, see Film Financing Guide. For festival submission budgeting, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking.
