Locarno Open Doors awards CHF 50,000 to two African projects
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The Locarno Film Festival's Open Doors programme has concluded its 24th edition by naming two African projects as winners of its 2026 grant, splitting CHF 50,000 between them. The announcement, made on Monday during the festival's 79th edition, closes out the second consecutive year in which the co-production platform has focused on filmmakers from the African continent, following a previous three-year cycle centred on Latin America and the Caribbean, and underscores Locarno's ongoing support for talent from regions where artistic expression faces constraints.
Each winning project received CHF 20,000. "A Vineyard for a Lobster," directed by Talemwa Pius and produced by Emmanuel Gashumba of Gripmagic Uganda Limited, is a Ugandan drama in which an inexplicable overnight snowfall in a drought-stricken village triggers rival claims of profit, faith and foreign intervention, culminating in military intervention. "Accept My Plea for Burial," directed by Mohammed Sheikh and produced by Kadir Harbi of Aleel Films (Somalia/Djibouti), follows the fallout in a Somali pastoral village after a boy's accidental death sparks a dispute between grief, customary law and religious mediation. The Open Doors grant is sponsored by visions sud est, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the City of Bellinzona and the Open Doors initiative.
- Locarno's Open Doors names two African film projects as 2026 grant winners
- CHF 50,000 split evenly between Ugandan and Somali/Djibouti productions
- Marks the programme's second year focused on African filmmakers
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Locarno is one of the world's longest-running film festivals, held each summer in Switzerland. Alongside its main film programme, it runs an industry arm called Locarno Pro, which includes a scheme called Open Doors. This scheme aims to support filmmakers from parts of the world where making films is harder, whether due to limited funding, censorship, or restricted freedom of expression, by offering training, mentoring, industry contacts and, ultimately, grant money to help chosen projects get made.
Open Doors works in multi-year cycles, spending several years focused on one region before moving to another. It previously spent three years supporting filmmakers from Latin America and the Caribbean, and has now completed a second consecutive year centred on African filmmakers. Each year culminates in a grant awarded to selected projects still in development.
This year's award, worth CHF 50,000 in total, is being split between two projects: a Ugandan drama called "A Vineyard for a Lobster" and a Somalia-Djibouti co-production called "Accept My Plea for Burial." The funding is intended to help these films move closer to production, and the wider Open Doors scheme is backed by Swiss cultural and development organisations alongside the festival itself.
More coverage
- Deadline — Locarno Pro & Open Doors Winners: ‘A Vineyard For A Lobster’, ‘Accept My Plea For Burial’, ‘Spring Story’ & ‘Yazz’ Clinch Top Prizes
- Variety — Locarno Open Doors: Talemwa Pius’ ‘A Vineyard for a Lobster’ and Mohammed Sheikh’s ‘Accept My Plea for a Burial’ Win Top Prizes at Festival’s Africa Industry Focus
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “And the Winners Are… Locarno Open Doors Program Unveils 2026 Awards”.