The Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors programme and Switzerland’s Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur have partnered to launch Final Cut: New African Shorts, a new industry initiative aimed at supporting emerging short-film talent from across 42 African countries and connecting filmmakers with international industry professionals.
The inaugural programme will be held during the 30th Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, taking place from November 3 to 8, 2026. Four director-producer teams will be selected to present works-in-progress to international film experts, providing participants with professional feedback and opportunities to strengthen the international potential of their films.
The initiative targets short films nearing completion and open to all genres and formats. Projects may be produced in any official or widely spoken language of the eligible African countries, but must not have previously premiered publicly or been selected by another festival. Films must be scheduled for completion in the first half of 2027 and have a maximum final running time of 30 minutes.
Applications are free and remain open until August 17, 2026. Directors must be citizens of one of the 42 eligible African countries, and applications must be submitted in English. Rough cuts must include English or French subtitles, while selected projects will be required to provide English subtitles.
Beyond the Winterthur presentation, the programme offers a potential pathway to one of the world’s leading international film markets. One selected project will receive an opportunity to participate in Cannes’ Le Short Film Corner | Rendez-vous Industry in May 2027.
The winning director and producer will receive accreditation and access to the four-day industry programme, or may be referred to The Lab Editing Room, where filmmakers can receive professional consultations on areas such as editing, sound design, sales and distribution. The selected film will also be included in the Video Library of the Cannes industry programme.
The initiative is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), part of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Financial support will also cover travel, accommodation, subsistence and festival accreditation for selected teams, helping reduce some of the costs associated with participation in international film industry platforms.
For Locarno, the programme builds on the longstanding work of Open Doors, its co-production and talent-development initiative established in 2003. The platform has focused on filmmakers and regions historically underrepresented in the international film industry, providing access to professional networks, mentorship, funding and co-production opportunities.
The partnership also strengthens Winterthur’s role as both a major short-film festival and an international industry meeting point for filmmakers, producers, distributors, sales agents and festival programmers. Through Final Cut, the two organisations aim to increase the visibility of African short films while creating direct connections between their creators and international decision-makers.
The initiative comes as African short-film production continues to gain visibility on the international festival circuit, even as filmmakers face challenges accessing financing, post-production support, sales networks and international distribution.
By concentrating on projects already approaching completion, Final Cut: New African Shorts is designed to address this gap by helping filmmakers refine their work and prepare it for the international festival and distribution ecosystem.
The four selected teams will present their projects at Winterthur in November, while one project will receive a further opportunity to advance its international industry journey at Cannes in 2027. The initiative consequently creates a potential pipeline from African short-film production to European and international industry platforms.
