The Swiss town of Locarno has joined forces with 10 neighbouring municipalities overlooking Lago Maggiore to establish the Locarno Region Film Fund (LRFF) with a cash rebate scheme to attract national and international productions to shoot at locations in the region.
LRFF is the result of a collaboration between the informal intermunicipal association CISL (Convivio Intercomunale dei Sindaci del Locarnese), the Lago Maggiore and Valleys Tourism Organisation, and the Ticino Film Commission (TFC).
The fund, which will be operating for an initial three-year period and will be administered by the TFC, has been launched with an annual budget of $74,000 (CHF60,000) from the municipalities.
The Lago Maggiore and Valleys Tourism Organisation will contribute an additional $12,400 (CHF10,000) from the beginning of 2027, bringing the total annual budget up to $86,400 (CHF70,000).
According to the fund’s guidelines, a rebate of up to $24,700 (CHF20,000) may be granted to a project based on up to 20% of eligible expenses incurred by film suppliers such as technicians and service providers and up to 40% of other expenses including accommodation, catering and location rental.
Commenting on this joint venture with his mayoral colleagues in the region, Renato Mondada, mayor of Minusio, said the fund represents “a concrete investment in the regional economy, capable of generating direct benefits for local hotels, restaurants, businesses and professionals. Thanks to the model managed by the Ticino Film Commission, contributions are paid only for actual expenditures made locally, ensuring transparency and effectiveness.”
Fabio Bonetti, director of the Lago Maggiore and Valleys Tourism Organisation, added: “Beyond the economic benefits film and audiovisual productions generate for the area, [the fund] also contributes to the region’s visibility and positioning nationally and internationally, a concrete opportunity to further strengthen Locarno’s tourist appeal.”
LRFF is now the third regional film fund in the canton of Ticino alongside the cash rebate schemes operated by the city of Mendrisio and the municipality of Airolo. The TFC offers financial incentives of up to $24,700 (CHF20,000) to partially cover expenses of projects shooting in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland as well as the free services provided in its function as a film commission.
The Locarno region has previously been a popular destination for film shoots with features such as Stefan Jäger’s Monte Verità, which had its world premiere on Locarno’s Piazza Grande in 2021, Peter Luisi’s 2023 comedy Bon Schuur Ticino, Katalin Gödros’ historical drama Jakobs Ross, and Markus Welter’s award-winning family adventure Barry & Me.
Meanwhile, this year’s Locarno Film Festival will provide the backdrop for the world premiere at the Piazza Grande on 13 August of Chilean filmmaker Sergio Castro-San Martin’s Italian-Chilean-Swiss co-production The Chilean, which was partly shot in the region and received $12,400 (CHF10,000) in financial backing from TFC in 2024.
Locarno played another role in the realisation of this film as the film’s Italian producers Alessandro Amato and Luigi Chimienti of Rome-based dispàrte first became aware of the project when they met the Chilean producer Pablo Calisto of Equeco when all three were attending Locarno Pro’s Match Me programme in 2017.
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