An annual conference at the Locarno Film Festival for critical dialogue and creative exploration of the future of cinema.
To contribute to the ongoing vitality and development of the Locarno Film Festival, the Professor for the Future of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts leads programs and initiatives for exploring continuous changes in cinema in relation to technological and societal transformation.
The second edition of the Future of Cinema Conference, made possible with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation, brought together leading scholars, filmmakers, and artists to examine how generative AI, algorithmic media, and evolving forms of nonfiction reshape our perceptions of truth and representation. Through panels, performances, and live events, the conference engaged with urgent topics including algorithmic storytelling, misinformation, and the politics of the archive.
The conference continued in October 2025 with Future of Reality: From Locarno to LA, a two-day extension at UCLA featuring roundtables and screenings on AI and cinema, organized in collaboration with UCLA, Swissnex, and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
The inaugural Cinema and Audiovisual Futures Conference explored how cinema imagines its own survival in response to environmental and societal crises. Approximately 50 scholars, students, filmmakers, and artists convened for workshops and public events, examining cinematic survival through three interconnected lenses.
A publication bringing together key contributions is available from Diaphanes.
The Future of Cinema Conference is an initiative of the Locarno Film Festival and Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), organized by the Future of Cinema research team at USI through the project The Video Essay: Memories, Ecologies, Bodies, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Additional support from Swisscom, Mercator, Swissnex, Manawa Foundation, and Harun Farocki Institut.
An annual conference at the Locarno Film Festival for critical dialogue and creative exploration of the future of cinema.
The Professor for the Future of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts leads programs and initiatives for exploring continuous changes in cinema in relation to technological and societal transformation.
The second edition examined how generative AI, algorithmic media, and evolving forms of nonfiction reshape our perceptions of truth and representation. Made possible with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Featuring: Philippe Parreno & Verena Paravel · Radu Jude, Hito Steyerl & Antonio Somaini · Igor Simić · Donatella Della Ratta · Acid Maria
The inaugural conference explored how cinema imagines its own survival through Digital Survival, Social Survival, and Environmental Survival.
Featuring: Paul Trillo · Suneil Sanzgiri · Susan Schuppli · Nora M. Alter · Doreen Mende
Locarno 76 (2023): Tsai Ming-liang exhibition, Future of Intelligence, Masterclass with Hito Steyerl
Locarno 75 (2022): SocialSim installation by Hito Steyerl, Future of Attention, Masterclass with Laura Mulvey