Lili Hinstin, the new Locarno film festival director (festival handout)
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Frenchwoman Lili Hinstin is to head Switzerland’s premier film festival in Locarno. She replaces Carlo Chatrian will co-direct the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival.
The appointment of Hinstin, who previously worked as the artistic director of the Entrevues Belfort – Festival International du Film in France, was unanimous, a festival statement said on Friday.External link
“Lili Hinstin emerged as the candidate who more than any other corresponded to the profile sought by the presidency, the executive board and the board of governors for the person to be in charge of the artistic direction of the Locarno festival,” said festival president Marco Solari in the statement.
Born in Paris in 1977, Hinstin has run her own production company as well as been in charge of film-related activities of the Academy of France in Rome. She was also deputy artistic director of the Paris–based international film festival Cinéma du Réel from 2011-2013.
Hinstin said that taking up the Locarno artistic director post would be an honour, “because this is a FestivalExternal link that over the years has become a benchmark for cinephiles worldwide”. She pledged to put all her “experience and passion” into the role.
The new artistic director will be devoting part of her time with immediate effect to prepare the next edition of the Locarno festival, that runs from August 7-17, 2019, the festival said. Hinstin officially takes up her new role this December.
Hinstin replaces the Italian-born Chatrian, who was chosen together with Mariette Rissenbeck as managing director of the BerlinaleExternal link. He is due to take up his post at Europe’s most popular cinema event in May 2019. He had served as artistic director in Locarno since 2012.
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Born in Turin, Italy, in 1971, Chatrian has worked as a film critic for magazines such as Filmcritica, Duellanti and Cineforum since the early 1990s. He is the director of the magazine Panoramiques. Chatrian has run film courses at various schools and institutions. He first worked with the Locarno Film Festival in 2002, and served…
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