2023-07-24 18:01:04
The board of directors of the Locarno Film Festival has chosen Maja Hoffmann to replace Marco Solari, in place for 23 years. The founder of the LUMA Foundation will be the first woman to hold the position of president of the event.
“Maja Hoffmann is a great personality” in the world of visual arts, internationally recognized and with a large cultural network, launched the current president, Marco Solari, during a press conference Monday in Locarno. The festival’s board of directors unanimously validated the selection committee’s choice.
“I’m coming, I haven’t prepared a speech,” said Maja Hoffmann, who said she was honored to be invited to take on the role of president. “I was approached a very short time ago. I will put myself at the service of the festival.”
On Monday, on the RTS program Forum, the new president also said she was surprised by the proposal for the event, which she “admires a lot”. “It is very important for Switzerland to have this festival,” she added.
Paradigm shift
And Marco Solari to announce a radical paradigm shift regarding the presidency. Until now, the president embodied the festival and the city of Locarno to some extent. “But the era of the CEO is over, the festival will have to get used to it,” he smiled.
Maja Hoffmann is in high demand around the world, she will not be physically present as much. But the festival will benefit from it, it is important that it develops its international network, according to Mr. Solari.
The Locarno festival has always had a strong identity, welcomed Maya Hoffmann. There is no need for upheaval, the public comes in large numbers each year. “But we can make an effort to be even more of a real player in the life of the country, and not just culturally.”
Free cinema
Asked about her links with the festival, the city of Locarno and Ticino in general, Maya Hoffmann acknowledged that these should be further developed. “I will reconnect with my friends who live in Locarno, spend time here, talk with the teams in place and rely on them. I work with people and in ecosystems, not in a hierarchical way.”
“I want to prove that the type of cinema presented at Locarno, a free cinema, is still possible,” she also pleaded. While specifying not to be in an “anti-commercial” perspective. She also mentioned extra-European cinema, whose freshness and importance she praised.
The one who herself shot and produced films, however, remained discreet about her guideline. “I’ll think about it and I’ll let you know when I know what I’m going to focus my program on. Above all, I’m here to support the artistic director,” she told RTS.
>> Maja Hoffmann’s interview in Forum: The challenges for the new president of the Locarno Festival: interview with Maja Hoffmann / Forum / 2 min. / today at 19:51
Art collector and patron
Maja Hoffmann, born in 1956, created the Luma Foundation in 2004 in Zurich. The LUMA artistic complex, anchored in Arles since 2013, is one of the most important private cultural projects in Europe, according to the festival. Art collector and patron, Maya Hoffmann was elevated in 2021 to the rank of Commander of Arts and Letters by Roselyne Bachelot, then French Minister of Culture.
In her projects, Maja Hoffmann has addressed current themes in the fields of culture, nature, scientific research and ecology. She collaborates with many international cultural institutions: president of the Swiss Institute in New York and of the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation in Arles, or member of the board of directors of the Kunsthalle in Zurich.
Transition
Marco Solari should leave the presidency at the beginning of 2024. His personality has permeated the Festival since 2000. “He has secured Locarno’s place among the ten largest film festivals in the world”, has already welcomed the board of directors in a press release.
Initially, a transition phase, which will begin after the next edition of the Festival, is planned. Maya Hoffman’s candidacy will still have to be formally approved on September 20 by the general meeting. Marco Solari will present his withdrawal there.
The 76th edition of the Locarno Festival takes place this year from August 2 to 12.
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