Barefoot Industry Days are Lago Film Fest’s industry event with a special focus on new and creative ways to conceive, produce, distribute and promote cinema.
The Barefoot Industry Days have always been a space to foster dialogue, reflection, interpersonal exchange, and a place to create human and professional connections.
The aim is to strengthen an industry constantly trembling under the presence of many threats – the lack of public funding and investment in the cultural sector, the rising production costs, the destructive potential of an excessive use of AI, to name a few.
These issues affect film professionals on a global level, in every sector of the industry – from film production to distribution, film festivals, exhibitors, marketing and communication agencies, and everything in between.
However, films are still being produced, distributed and watched. In many cases, the lack of funding has even become a source of inspiration: whilst many departments from production to marketing are forced to find creative solutions to work within budget constrictions, many filmmakers have turned low-budget into part of their own aesthetic language.
In light of these challenges, this year the Barefoot Industry Days aim to reflect on the obstacles posed by the lack of funds that the industry is often facing in various sectors. Bearing in mind the limitations posed by these challenges, we intend to highlight examples of individuals and organisations that have started small, transformed low budget into an aesthetic and into a strength, making a virtue of necessity and assimilating the problematic into the creative process.
We will talk about independent productions, self-production, distribution and marketing, highlighting inspiring examples by independent film professionals. As always, we will also invite professionals from outside the film industry with the aim of inspiring filmmakers by bringing examples from other sectors, in our talk series ‘Stories from Other Worlds’.
Through a programme of talks, networking and pitch sessions, we aim to connect all participants and provide them with tools to help and inspire, whatever phase of their professional journey they are in.