Valentina Merli Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Locarno Film Festival has appointed longtime collaborator Markus Duffner as the head of its Locarno Pro industry program.Duffner, who will take the Locarno Pro helm in January, is replacing Paris-based sales exec Valentina Merli, who after being appointed to the post roughly a year ago quietly stepped down following this year’s virtual edition in August.As head of Locarno Pro, Duffner will work closely with Sophie Bourdon, Locarno Pro deputy chief

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro industry side is trying to rise to the challenge faced by many festivals that have been forced to cancel their physical editions.“The one thing I wanted to avoid was doing something just for the sake of doing something,” says Valentina Merli, who became head of Locarno Pro in January.

The Locarno Film Festival has announced that Nadia Dresti is stepping down as head of the prominent Swiss indie cinema event’s market side which she built over two decades into a unique and formidable space for international quality cinema industry operators.