ASCONA FIREFLIES RETREAT FOR IMPACT FILMS
7-11 AugustAscona & Locarno
The Ascona Fireflies Retreat is an immersive, creative incubator where filmmakers, catalysts, and experts converge to develop and refine impact-driven projects. Set in the serene landscapes of Ascona, the retreat fosters collaboration, mentorship, and innovative storytelling strategies that maximize a project’s real-world influence during the prestigious Locarno Film Festival.
❋ Impact FilmsImpact Films are transformative visual stories that go beyond entertainment, driving social, environmental, and cultural change. They illuminate pressing global issues, amplify marginalized voices, and inspire audiences to act, bridging the gap between storytelling and tangible societal impact.
❋ Screening Night & NetworkingThe screening night celebrates catalysts, filmmakers, and changemakers whose project communications aim to amplify impact through solution-oriented innovations, messages, and stories. Guests will enjoy a gourmet apéro while networking and exploring new collaborations and possibilities.
❋ Retreat in AsconaHosted at the Ascona Centro di Humani from 7–11 August, the 5 days retreat is followed by a dedicated screening event and offers participants free accreditation to the full film festival, a specialized award ceremony, an exclusive networking aperitif, and a red carpet parade. Complemented by ongoing online masterclasses, the programme fosters creative collaboration and action-oriented storytelling in service of a regenerative future.
❋ Red Carpet ParadeThe Red Carpet Parade at the Locarno Film Festival reclaims one of cinema’s most visible rituals as a platform for public engagement and social impact, transforming the red carpet from a site of celebrity spectacle into a living stage for changemakers and the causes they champion. By placing activists, community leaders, and solution-driven initiatives alongside filmmakers, the parade amplifies the visibility of social and environmental struggles while harnessing the festival’s global media attention.
High Impact Event: Red Carpet Parade at the Locarno Film Festival
The Red Carpet Parade at the Locarno Film Festival reclaims one of cinema’s most visible rituals as a platform for public engagement and social impact. By spotlighting catalysts as changemakers alongside filmmakers, the parade transforms the red carpet from a site of celebrity spectacle into a living stage for urgent causes, solution-oriented initiatives, and collective responsibility.
Set within one of Europe’s most influential film festivals, the parade amplifies the visibility of grassroots movements, environmental and social justice efforts, and innovative responses to global challenges. It creates a powerful convergence of art, advocacy, and public attention, engaging festival audiences, media, and city publics in narratives that extend beyond the screen.
Through this symbolic yet highly mediatised gesture, the Red Carpet Parade catalyzes dialogue, fosters alliances across sectors, and repositions cinema as an active agent in shaping more just and sustainable futures.