The Locarno Film Festival has announced attendance for its 64th edition was 159,503, up about 7.5% from 2010.

The Piazza Grande screenings had 61,700 attendees, compared to 52,300 in 2010.

There were 3,950 industry delegates attending (up slightly from 2010), including 900 journalists and 251 buyers. During the Open Doors Co-Production Lab, 434 meetings were held.

Festival President Marco Solari expressed the hope “that the Festival’s success will help persuade Locarno residents to aspire to become a centre of excellence for the moving image”.

Dates for the 2012 festival will be Aug 1-11.