Nigerian director Dika Ofoma's film 'Till The Morning Comes' claims victory in Locarno's Open Doors competition
The 23rd Locarno Film Festival has announced the winners of the Open Doors Grants for African filmmakers. This year marks the beginning of a four-year focus on the African continent, with the initiative aiming to foster and elevate underrepresented voices from the continent until 2028.
Key Projects and Their Grants
Here are the winners of the Open Doors Grants 2023 and the grants they received:
| Film Title | Director | Country(ies) | Type | Open Doors Grant (CHF) | Other Awards | |-------------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Kachifo: Till the Morning Comes | Dika Ofoma | Nigeria | Queer Romance | 20,000 | ARTEKino International Award, Sørfond Award | | Black Snake | Naishe Nyamubaya | Zimbabwe | Fiction Feature | 25,000 | | | Diary of a Goat Woman | Azata Soro | Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso | Feminist Rural Drama | 5,000 | | | Les Bilokos | Erickey Bahati | DR Congo, France | Documentary | N/A (CNC Grant €8,000) | |
Other Notable Mentions
In addition to the above, other notable mentions include:
- "Les Bilokos" by Erickey Bahati (DR Congo and France) received an €8,000 CNC Development Grant. This documentary follows former child soldiers on their paths to redemption.
- Yannick Mizero Kabano (Rwanda) received the Open Doors-OIF-ACP-EU Award's €2,500 development grant and the Tabakalera-San Sebastian Film Festival Residency Award.
- June Wairegi of Giza Visuals became the first recipient of the MECAS Award, enabling her to take part in the next edition of the International Market for Almost-Finished Films (MECAS) in Gran Canaria in April 2026.
- Angolan producer-director Kamy Lara of Ulka Filmes received the Rotterdam Lab Award to attend the next edition of the Rotterdam Lab and the Open Doors - World Cinema Fund Audience Strategy Award for audience engagement strategy development.
- Black Snake is a co-production between Zimbabwean-American producer Sue-Ellen Chitunya of Harare and US-based 263 Reels. The film blends grounded drama with magical realism.
Additional Awards
- Till The Morning Comes won the Sørfond Award, granting the project an opportunity to take part in the Norwegian pitching event in November. It also won the Prix Arte Kino International for development, worth €6,000.
- Dika Ofoma won the awards ceremony for his debut feature film, Till The Morning Comes (Kachifo).
- The Directors Club of Open Doors Screenings featured five directors of films this year.
- Jackie Chan and 'Sentimental Value' drew huge crowds at the Locarno Film Festival. This fact is not related to the Open Doors awards and is included as an additional fact from the current paragraph.
The Open Doors initiative at Locarno continues its focus on fostering African cinema, offering grants, co-production opportunities, and talent development to underrepresented voices from the continent.
[1] Locarno Film Festival Official Website [2] Open Doors Official Website [3] CNC Official Website [4] Rotterdam Lab Official Website [5] World Cinema Fund Official Website
- The Open Doors initiative at Locarno, focusing on African cinema, not only awards grants and co-production opportunities but also encourages talent development within the field of entertainment.
- Movies like "Kachifo: Till the Morning Comes", "Black Snake", and "Diary of a Goat Woman" fall under the category of African entertainment, with the former being a recipient of the Sørfond Award and the Prix Arte Kino International for development.
