USI at the Locarno Film Festival: the schedule

As part of the 78th Locarno Film Festival, USI will participate with screenings and a conference attended by leading scholars, directors and artists. Below is all the information on the scheduled appointments.

The Future of Reality conference aims to reflect on the role of cinema with political and ecological issues and technological transformation. There will be daily sessions for specialists and two public events on the evenings of Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 August.

This year's conference builds on last year's event, Future of Survival. It is part of the Cinema and Audiovisual Futures Conference series, co-organised by Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Locarno Factory.

The event aims to be a platform for critical dialogue and creative exploration about the future of cinema. In particular, this year's conference will examine how generative AI, algorithmic media, and evolving forms of nonfiction reshape our perceptions of truth and representation. Through panels, performances and live events, the conference will engage with urgent topics such as algorithmic storytelling, misinformation and the politics of the archive.

Programme:

The first two evenings open to the public, held on Monday, 11 August at the Locarno Factory, will focus on a conversation with renowned artist Philippe Parreno, moderated by the curatorial collective CinemaO. Followig the conversation, the AI Game Show: "If AI Is the Answer, What Is the Question?" a provocative quiz with filmmaker Radu Jude, artist and theorist Hito Steyerl and media theorist Antonio Somaini, to question the promises (and paradoxes) of artificial intelligence. To close the day, a DJ set by electronic music artist Acid Maria, deploying real-time strategies of sonic collage.

On the evening of Tuesday, 12 August, at the Locarno Factory, Donatella Della Ratta and The Void will present "Ask Me for Those Unborn Promises That May Seem Unlikely to Happen in the Natural #3 2025," a performance lecture that will analyse AI-generated media in the context of political conflicts. This event is made possible by the Italian Council. Following the lecture, a multimedia performance titled "Constellation Storytelling" by Serbian director, game designer, and artist Igor Simic. This performance is based on the thesis that everything can serve as artistic material in our age of immediacy. A "collision" montage of high-sounding words and minimal concepts, with micro-doses of EDM. A conversation with the independent curator and writer Greg de Cuir Jr will precede the event.

Other USI-related activities will also take place in the Locarno Film Festival setting.

On 9 August, at 2 pm, the Palacinema will host "Synthetic/Material: From AI to DVD. Video Essays from Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)". This event will feature video essays from Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) as part of the Film Foundry programme, showcasing films produced by Swiss film, television, and animation schools.

This programme presents video essays by students from the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, from the "Video Essay Atelier" course held by Prof. Kevin B. Lee. The course explores the evolving materialities of cinema, examining the transition from DVDs to algorithmic transformations. The students' works investigate how films and personal experiences are remembered and reinterpreted across different technological eras.

On 13 August, at 9 pm, Palacinema will host Video Essays for the Future of Cinema. The programme features two video essays examining cinema's changing role in contemporary society. "Key Words for Key Films," created by students from the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio for Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Torino, combines text with films from 2020 to create a dynamic glossary that reflects our times.
"Future of Survival" features video essays created during the 2024 Future of Cinema Conference. At this event, participants examined the Locarno Festival to explore the challenges facing cinema in an age of crisis. These videos were published in the NECSUS Journal of the European Network of Cinema Studies (NECS). Under the guidance of Professor Kevin B. Lee, this programme demonstrates how video essays can function as both a form of critical analysis and a poetic reflection, delving into cinema's intricate relationship with the world.