Ten Open Doors awards were given out at Locarno Pro today.
OPEN DOORS GRANT — CHF 50,000 total, sponsored by Visions Sud Est (with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), the City of Bellinzona, and the Open Doors initiative
- "A Vineyard for a Lobster," Talemwa Pius, produced by Emmanuel Gashumba (Gripmagic Uganda Limited), Uganda — CHF 20,000
- "Accept My Plea for Burial," Mohammed Sheikh, produced by Kadir Harbi (Aleel Films), Somalia/Djibouti — CHF 20,000
- "Too Much Music," Aseye Fiagbe, Ghana — CHF 10,000
CNC DEVELOPMENT GRANT — €8,000
- "Chapa 100," Ique Langa, Mozambique
ARTEKINO INTERNATIONAL AWARD — €6,000
- "The Ones With the Tempered Flowers," Neema Ngelime, Tanzania/Kenya
SORFOND AWARD — participation in the Sørfond Pitching Forum at Films from the South in Norway this November
- "The Ones With the Tempered Flowers," Neema Ngelime, produced by Ivy Kiru (LBx Africa), Tanzania/Kenya
TABAKALERA-SAN SEBASTIAN Film Festival Residency Award
- "I Live in V.I.," Ugochukwu Azuya, produced by Olubunmi Ogunsola (ENSEMBLE), Nigeria
ROTTERDAM LAB AWARD (IFFR Pro)
- Adja Mariam Mahre Soro (Studio KÄ), Ivory Coast
EAVE AWARD — scholarship for the EAVE Marketing Workshop worth €4,000, with Film Fund Luxembourg
- Mamounata Nikiema (Pilumpiku Production), Burkina Faso
ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE (OIF)
"Sarah," Pocas Pascoal, Angola
AFP CRITICS PRIZE — USD 500 cash, a certificate, and ongoing editorial coverage of the recipient and their future work across Akoroko, Sinema Focus and What Kept Me Up
- "Submergido," Ariel Añez, produced by Joseph Mata, co-produced by Ariel Añez (Maochas Filmes), Mozambique
AFP jury: Kelvin Kariuki (Kenya), Vivian Nwajiaku (Nigeria), Jeffrey Ini-Abasi (Nigeria)
Open Doors 2026 ran August 5–10 at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, which continues through August 15.