For Marco Solari, Festival President, «all these businesses have contributed, each in their own way, and in varying proportions, to making the next edition possible. They are all immensely important to the Festival, not only for their generous financial support, but also for the experience and competence they agree to share with us. A big thank you to our loyal partners, who ensure a invaluable continuity of security to the event and have played a decisive role in the Festival’s growing success over recent years, and to the newcomers who have chosen to join us for the 61st edition. Support from the private sector is thus a fundamental complement to the public subsidy that funds the Festival.»

The Locarno Festival has thus been able, once again this year, to count on the support of its four regular principal sponsors. This is the case with the UBS, a sponsor since 1981, and instigator of the Public UBS Public Choice Award (launched in 2000) – it will be chosen this year for the ninth consecutive time by the Piazza Grande audience. Likewise Swisscom, with us for over a decade, enables the event to cope with the rapid changes in the area of telecommunications. Manor, a sponsor since 2001, handles Festival merchandising and run the Pardo Boutique. Ticino electricity agency AET, also a principal sponsor since 2001, as of this year is also « Light of the festival»: under this rubric they have contributed to the Piazza’s new lighting set-up for the 61st edition of the Festival.
 

In addition, the Locarno Festival is proud to have three sponsors, leading companies in their sectors, who supply us with all their savoir faire. For example, logistics partner La Poste, who once again are organising the whole of public transport in Locarno and its surroundings over the event’s ten days. Similarly, Publicitas continues to publish Pardo News, the Festival’s official daily newspaper, offered every evening to 8,000 viewers on the Piazza; and will enable a special issue to be distributed free through July in every part of Switzerland, in UBS branches and Swisscom Shops. Finally, thanks to the expertise of Belgian company XDC, the 2008 Festival can continue to guarantee exceptional projection quality (with hi-definition digital technology), which at every edition arouses the admiration amongst both filmmakers and audiences.

The Festival also has several categories of partners. First, « Mobility Partners ». SWISS airline provides the Artistic Directorate’s countless trips during the year, and makes it possible for the Festival’s guests to come from all corners of the globe. CFF organises numerous special trains during the Festival, and makes special offers for travellers from all over Switzerland with reduced price train tickets and daily travel cards. Finally, once again this year Toyota supplies the Festival with the biggest fleet of hybrid cars in Switzerland, 34 vehicles circulating with maximum respect for the environment.

In terms of PR and media, Locarno is happy to continue its long-standing partnership with SRG/SSR idée suisse and «official broadcaster», RTSI who broadcast the closing night live, work on a daily basis with the Festival to offer complete coverage of the programme, and make Pardochannel, the Festival’s television. Teletext offers communications support as it does every year, from July onwards relaying advance and current information about the event and its programme. Another partner is Namics, who have contributed to making the future new site internet www.pardo.ch.

Among the Locarno Festival’s indispensable supporters seven companies are directly associated with specific sections, prizes or special events for the 2008 edition: Swisslife, partner on the Nanni Moretti retrospective, C.P. Company, partner on the Golden Leopard for the Filmmakers of the Present Competition, Cine Cinema (Special Jury Prize for the Filmmakers of the Present Competition), once again SSR/SRG (Pardino d’Oro for the Best International Short Film), IKEA (Pardino d’or for the Best International Short Film), Kodak (Silver Pardino for the Leopards of Tomorrow Competition) and Action Light (Action Light Prize for Best Swiss Newcomer).
 

Finally, thanks to its official suppliers, once again this year the event benefits from substantial support in cash and kind: furnishings from IKEA, Lenovo computers (for the first time made available to professionals attending the Festival), software (developed by the young Ticino business CRYMS), but also Helena Rubinstein cosmetics, who this summer will be the first partner to offer a personalised service to the festival’s guests) champagne from Moët & Chandon, Chicco d’oro cafe, and official catering by  SSAT, Ticino’s hotel school.

The support from all these private companies supplements the indispensable public subventions. Ticino Canton (via the Swisslos fund), Confederation suisse (Federal Office of Culture) and City of Locarno together provide the first source of funding for the Locarno Festival. And, through the Swiss Foreign Ministry’s Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the main partner on the Open Doors section, inaugurated in 2002, and precious contributions from the communes of the Region of Locarno and the City of Lugano and the Ticinese and Lake Maggiore tourist offices.

Finally, 2008 marks the birth of the Leopard Club, a Festival support association created at the instigation of Rolando Benedick, president of Manor SA, open to all those who as organisations or associations wish to financially support the event.