Niccolò Castelli is the new artistic director of the Solothurn Film Days

Niccolò Castelli will be responsible for conceptual, content and design management in the areas of programme, communication and media, in addition to helping shape the strategic direction of the festival. Together with the administrative director Monica Rosenberg, he will form the new co-management in the dual management system. Niccolò Castelli will hold this position in parallel with his role as director of the Ticino Film Commission.

The Foundation’s Board together with the entire operational team of the Ticino Film Commission congratulates its director on this prestigious position. With the artistic direction of the most important film event in Switzerland, the Film Commission and Ticino further affirm their role within the national and international audio-visual arena. This is the result of a long journey that, over the last decade, has led the production of films, documentaries and short films from Ticino to make a name for itself with its professionals both north of the Alps and abroad.

Alongside the artistic direction of the Solothurn Film Days, Niccolò Castelli will continue to be the director of the Ticino Film Commission, a position Castelli already held on a part-time basis and which, despite his new post in Solothurn, remains unchanged. On the contrary, according to the Ticino Film Commission, the two organisations will be able to further consolidate their relations in the future in favour of a greater national identity and cohesion, as well as the strength of the national audio-visual industry.

Regarding his appointment, Niccolò Castelli says: “The viewpoint from which I have looked at national filmmaking is Italian-speaking Switzerland. On the one hand, being part of a linguistic minority is not easy, but on the other hand I have always considered my homeland a privileged ground from which to start. Being from Ticino has allowed me to have both an insight and a detached view of all the dynamics of the Swiss film industry. I am happy to be able to apply this insight now in the unique place that is Solothurn; I will certainly take my experience with me to make our linguistic and cultural minority a strength for the entire national film industry”.

For the President of the Ticino Film Commission, Nicola Pini, “The appointment of Niccolò Castelli as head of the Solothurn Film Days is a great opportunity for the Ticino Film Commission, which will see its position and credibility further strengthened among Swiss film professionals. But, in reality, the good news is for Ticino cinema as a whole, and for Ticino in general, which is further consolidated as a key region in the national audio-visual industry. This is really something to be proud of”.