Ticino Film Commission: Ten years at the side of filmmaking in Ticino

Feature-length fiction or documentary films, TV series, music videos, international TV programmes, commercials, short films, audiovisuals in their most diverse forms. There are over 250 productions that the Ticino Film Commission has accompanied from its inception to the present day, contributing to the growth and to promote the canton's potential as a film location and the region's audiovisual industry.

These were among the main purposes for which the Ticino Film Commission was created in 2014, after having been conceived during the work of the audiovisual platform, desired by the Canton of Ticino, at the table of which all the industry players were seated. A non-profit foundation, set up thanks to the important concerted work of the Economic Development Office of the Economic Division, financial support through regional economic policy and the founding partners Ticino Turismo, AFAT (Associazione film e audiovisivi Ticino), GRSI (Gruppo registi e sceneggiatori indipendenti della Svizzera italiana) and Locarno Film Festival, the Ticino Film Commission was the first in Switzerland.

An organisation dedicated to promoting the region as a film location and facilitating the arrival of productions interested in filming in the area, as already in place in other countries, might have seemed a gamble at the time. But the Ticino example set the standard and similar set-ups have developed throughout Switzerland over the years, from the Film Commission Zurich to the Valais Film Commission.  

The 10th anniversary of the Ticino Film Commission was celebrated at an official event held on Thursday 8 August at the Sport Café in Locarno, in the presence of the political authorities, representatives of the founding members and the audiovisual sector, the world of tourism and supporters.

In addition to the representatives of the TFC, the speakers included the President of the Council of State and Director of the Department of Finance and Economic Affairs Christian Vitta, the Mayor of Locarno Nicola Pini, until last year President of the Ticino Film Commission, Angelo Trotta Director of Ticino Turismo and Nadia Dresti, member of the Board of Directors of the Locarno Film Festival, head of the Industry Advisory Board and former director of the TFC. The meeting was also an opportunity to show a short video dedicated to the first 10 years of the Ticino Film Commission and for a talk by Katalin Gödrös, director of the feature film "Jakobs Ross", which will be screened at the Locarno Film Festival. Hers was a touching testimony, as it was the Vallemaggia areas hard hit by the terrible wave of bad weather at the end of June that hosted the film's shooting in 2022, for which donations for reconstruction will also be possible during the Locarno screening of the film.

Jakobs Ross, produced by Zurich-based Turnus Film in co-production with Luxembourg, is just one example of the many films made in our canton with the support of the TFC. In its ten years of existence, the Ticino Film Commission has worked constantly to attract film and audiovisual productions to the area and to promote Ticino as an ideal location. "Before the Ticino Film Commission was established, our canton could already boast production facilities in the audiovisual sector," emphasised TFC director Niccolò Castelli, "even if they were perhaps not recognised as much as they deserved. However, it is undeniable that much less was being shot in Ticino and that there was no network, no point of reference even for productions from outside the canton. Today, production days cover the whole year and the entire spectrum of the audiovisual landscape is represented, from cinema to TV series. Year after year, our audiovisual sector has developed and Ticino in this field is known not only for the beauty of its locations, the richness and diversity of its locations, but also for the recognised reliability of its professionals'.

State Council President Christian Vitta also highlighted the success of the Ticino Film Commission in its first ten years of activity. "It is an exemplary initiative that plays an important role in promoting Ticino's image beyond the national borders and that contributes to generating positive spin-offs for the economy and for the entire region.”

That the activity has developed in recent years is also indicated by the numbers. On the whole, the productions accompanied by the Ticino Film Commission have generated a direct economic impact on the territory estimated at over 26 million francs from 2014 to date. More than 20,000 overnight stays have been recorded in over 3,400 production days, not counting the numerous temporary jobs linked to filming.

An activity that involved the entire canton. "In Ticino, films have been and are being shot from Airolo to Chiasso," reminded Claudio Franscella, president of the Ticino Film Commission, "from Lucomagno to San Carlo in Val Bavona, passing through the cities of Locarno, Bellinzona and Lugano. The whole of our region is potentially a film set. In Ticino there are not only breathtaking landscapes but also more hidden places and film people able to support the productions that choose us'.

Dedicated to continuing to consolidate the sector in our Canton, the Ticino Film Commission has over the years become the competence centre for audiovisual creation in Italian-speaking Switzerland and is today an indispensable link in the chain of the regional and national film industry. In addition to the Canton's support, it can count on the backing of its main partners Banca Stato, Ticino Turismo and the regional tourism organisations, and on a broad and solid network of collaborations linked to specific projects involving municipalities, international and national institutions and professionals such as Locarno Pro, the section of the Locarno Film Festival dedicated to industry professionals.

"The future holds many challenges," said TFC President Claudio Franscella, " starting with competition from other Film Commissions, especially foreign ones that are geographically close to us, which can often offer productions greater economic incentives than ours.  But it is a challenge that the Ticino Film Commission is ready to face with the commitment and enthusiasm that has characterised it since its inception: for another ten years and many more.”