Locarno's industry think tank StepIn is returning for its 15th edition with a programme titled "Power, People, Data and the Future of Film," examining how algorithms, artificial intelligence and growing industry consolidation are reshaping independent cinema. The event matters because it tackles a tension increasingly felt across the film business: audiences are drawn to original, emotionally truthful work, yet decision-making is ever more shaped by data-driven systems designed to minimise risk and predict outcomes.

Organiser Marcello Paolillo said this year's discussions build on last year's theme of embracing creative risk, and framed AI and algorithms not as inherently hostile to art but as tools that, used thoughtfully, need not constrain creativity. The programme is structured around four sessions: "Films vs. Formula," on algorithms and creative freedom; "Sustainable Indie Financing," linking investors with sales agents; "Why Cinema Still Matters," on activism and audience renewal; and "Gender Equality and the Cost of Inclusion," on who can afford a career in the industry. Analyst Stephen Follows will open proceedings with a talk titled "Fear, Lies, and the Illusion of Control," arguing that industry tools meant to tame uncertainty—from stars to test screenings to algorithms—have never worked as well as claimed.