Recherche et publications

• Projets de recherche

  Désaccords à Locarno: une histoire politique du Festival international du film (1946-1991)
  Statut: En cours

  Début	01.06.2026
  Fin	30.11.2026
  Financement	FNS  Voir la fiche du projet
  Le Festival du film de Locarno (FFL), créé en 1946, est l’une des plus anciennes manifestations cinématographiques au monde. Avant de s’imposer sur la scène internationale comme la « capitale du cinéma d’auteur », sa légitimité au sein du champ cinématographique helvétique a été violemment contestée. Critiqué pour son orientation trop commerciale ou trop subversive, il n’a, durant ses quarante-cinq premières années, jamais réussi à faire l’unanimité. Cet ouvrage cherche à déterminer pourquoi le FFL a suscité autant de débats au cours des décennies, et vise à comprendre ce que ces polémiques révélaient des tensions politiques, culturelles et sociales en Suisse. Cette étude retrace les efforts des organisateur·rices de la manifestation pour la faire reconnaître à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur du pays en tant qu’institution culturelle. Leurs démarches consistent en une autonomisation progressive par rapport à leurs principaux partenaires : les promoteurs touristiques tessinois, les professionnels du marché du film (surtout en Suisse alémanique), et les milieux cinéphiles gravitant autour de la Cinémathèque suisse (principalement en Romandie). Pour ce faire, les dirigeant·es du FFL empruntent un chemin allant à rebours des autres festivals internationaux, en collaborant de plus en plus étroitement avec les autorités gouvernementales. Celles-ci, traditionnellement peu enclines à intervenir dans le domaine de la culture (surtout cinématographique), ont leurs propres impératifs, conditionnés par les relations délicates de la Confédération avec le canton du Tessin (en tant que région périphérique et minorité linguistique) et avec les pays extra-occidentaux (en raison de la Guerre froide et des décolonisations). L’histoire du festival de Locarno a donc été parsemée de scandales, dont cette recherche démontre qu’ils étaient aussi bien liés aux films au programme qu’aux luttes d’influence entourant le FFL. Elle défend l’idée que si ses détracteurs s’en sont pris aux « films de l’Est », aux « films du Tiers-Monde » et aux « films immoraux » projetés au festival de Locarno, c’était notamment pour dénoncer la volonté de ses organisateur·rices d’en faire un évènement qui soit moins subordonné à des intérêts extra-cinématographiques.

  piazza nostra: Reframing an International Film Festival Inside Out
  Statut: En cours

  Début	01.02.2026
  Fin	31.08.2026
  Financement	FNS  Voir la fiche du projet
  In August 2026, the Locarno Film Festival (LFF)–one of the oldest film festivals in the world–will turn 80. Its contribution to the history of cinema is well documented, and numerous studies have examined its cultural and economic impact. Yet, almost nothing is known about the hundreds of people who have made the festival possible over the decades. Today, the LFF’s employs more than 700 staff members and attracts over 150’000 spectators each year. Just like hotel and restaurant owners, public service staff and festivalgoers, each participant experiences the event differently. However, these perspectives are rarely, if ever, acknowledged in historical accounts. This project seeks to offer new ways of understanding the festival by highlighting these overlooked voices and experiences. Building on a previous project titled Challenging the Narratives About the Locarno Film Festival, which concludes in December 2025, the applicants have gathered a wealth of audiovisual and iconographic material that sheds light on underrepresented, minorized, or silenced perspectives in the festival’s history. Beyond personal anecdotes, locals recounted the development of an alternative scene (on the fringes of the official celebrations), technicians described their seasonal work (completely invisible to festivalgoers), and secretaries revealed the secrets of a 360-degree organisation (which requires both technical and social skills). Beyond its cultural dimension, our approach is rooted in social history. It aims to shed light on people who usually remain in the shadows and to reframe our perspective, moving away from glitz and glamour to focus on everything that does not necessarily shine. The present proposal aims to embed the findings of Agora I into collective memory by disseminating them through an audiovisual exhibition developed in a co-creation process. It also seeks to integrate these results into the festival’s official commemorations, to help the public understand that great history is not written solely with "great men". Developing new narratives ahead of 2027, when the LFF celebrates its 80th edition, is therefore crucial . In collaboration with the City of Locarno and the Festival itself, the applicants will create an interactive exhibition at Locarno’s historical museum (Museo Casorella). It will draw on the material collected during Agora I as well as the co-applicant’s research. The project combines the scientific expertise of Cyril Cordoba with the experience of Joséphine Métraux in participatory public history projects. Through piazza nostra, the applicants aim to make an innovative contribution to the cultural and social history of Locarno. With its bottom-up approach, the project is pioneering: no comparable initiative currently exists in the field of festival studies.

  From "Crypto-Communism" to "Pornography" : Challenging the Narratives about the Locarno Film Festival
  Statut: Terminé

  Début	01.06.2024
  Fin	31.12.2025
  Financement	FNS  Voir la fiche du projet
  In 2023, more than 500’000 people attended Swiss film festivals. Among those, the Locarno Film Festival (LFF), one of the oldest in the world, attracted 145’000 spectators by itself. In August 2026, this major event of Switzerland’s film culture will be 80 years old. On this occasion, many publications will retrace its long history. Commemorative books, special issues, and television programs are likely to portray it as a pioneering event that became part of the country’s cultural heritage by introducing auteur cinema to Swiss audiences ; "a calm, quiet, gentle, and relaxed festival, without scandals". However, a much less consensual past made of controversies lies behind this narrative. When trying to push boundaries, the LFF encountered many difficulties caused by Switzerland’s conservatism and political divisions. This remains largely unknown today, which is why this project will challenge the traditional portrayal of the event by engaging with the public on two levels: during screenings-debates of a documentary and through the online collection of testimonies. The first part of this project will be a medium-length film about the scandals caused by the LFF, accused of showing communist propaganda and pornography when it included in its program Eastern European movies (1950s), "Third World films" (1960s), and subversive features (1970s). The documentary will be directed by the creator of the YouTube channel Cinéma et politique. The second part of this project will be a collaborative experience challenging the usual narrative about the Festival’s history: a call for the participation of the people who "made" the Festival but have so far remained unheard (attendees, volunteers, and staff). People will be invited to share testimonies, thoughts, and documents about their own experience of the LFF from the 1980s onward to build a "bottom-up" narrative.

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