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Locarno’s StepIn Focuses on ‘Power, People, Data and the Future of Film’: ‘The Counter-Algorithm Is a Human Being Who Gives a Damn’ (EXCLUSIVE)
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.
In short
- Locarno's StepIn think tank turns 15, tackling AI's impact on indie film
- Four sessions cover algorithms, financing, activism and inclusion
- Analyst Stephen Follows opens with a talk on the "illusion of control"
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Algorithms systematise the film industry's existing risk-aversion, creating self-reinforcing loops that prioritise formulaic content over original innovation. When data-driven systems control investment and distribution decisions, they fundamentally constrain independent cinema—the field built on challenging conventions and taking creative risks. Combined with industry consolidation, this means fewer decision-makers ceding authority to opaque systems, leaving little space for the artistic experimentation cinema requires to evolve.
The case against
Algorithms are tools whose impact depends on design and application, not inherent hostility to creativity; the industry has always tried controlling outcomes, yet original work regularly breaks through. The question is not whether to use these systems but how to use them thoughtfully—designing tools that identify and support genuine originality rather than merely maximising engagement metrics. Independent filmmakers can engage critically with data to understand audiences and distribution whilst maintaining creative autonomy, turning analytics from constraint into resource.
Explained simply
StepIn is the Locarno Film Festival's industry think tank, a recurring event where filmmakers, producers, investors and other film professionals gather to discuss pressing issues facing cinema. This year marks its 15th edition, focusing on how algorithms, artificial intelligence and industry consolidation are reshaping how films are made and distributed.
The central tension is this: whilst audiences crave original, emotionally truthful stories, the decisions about which films get made and marketed are increasingly shaped by data-driven systems designed to reduce risk. This creates a paradox—the tools meant to help the industry succeed may actually discourage the creative risks that audiences want.
The programme includes four main sessions exploring different facets of this challenge, from how algorithms affect creative freedom to financing models for independent films and questions of who can afford to work in the industry. The event will open with analyst Stephen Follows discussing how industry tools—from star actors to test screenings to algorithms—have failed to deliver the certainty they promise.
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