Locarno Takeaways: A Charming Olivia Wilde, Navigating an Industry Crunch and One Reason Why There Should Be More Women Filmmakers

Aug 14, 2026 12:24pm PT Locarno Takeaways: A Charming Olivia Wilde, Navigating an Industry Crunch and One Reason Why There Should Be More Women Filmmakers

As traditional film finance contracts, Locarno underscored parts of the business which is booming – international co-production – or growing or relatively new: Venture capital investment

By John Hopewell

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John Hopewell

Chief International Correspondent

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Olivia Wilde at Locarno's Piazza Grande Courtesy of Locarno Film Festival

Unspooling over Aug. 5-15, this year’s Locarno Film Festival broke records for industry attendance and its temperatures, Switzerland enduring its hottest summer since records began in 1864. Led by an ebullient Olivia Wilde, charged by the breakout success of “The Invite,” Locarno Pro delivered a telling take on the world’s arthouse crunch with the sector courting venture capital to fill the breach of contracting finance from traditional sources.

These and other industry takeaways fom this year’s Locarno Film Festival.