Sophie Bourdon and Sarah Schiesser - The Faces behind the “Open Doors” Initiative

Sarah Schiesser

Sophie Bourdon and Sarah Schiesser are two people who have been working relentlessly for the success of the acclaimed “Open Doors” programme at the Locarno Festival. Sophie is the Head of Open Doors for the program, and has been extremely innovative and caring towards the cause. The Open Doors initiative took place every day during the festival from 8 am, and required a lot of dedication and energy to pull off. Despite that, Sarah always had a smile on her face.  This was tough to do when you are handling so much all by yourselves. I genuinely think that the Open Doors program is a unique idea and during the 15 years that it has been active, it has been helping young directors from all over the world to enter the international film market. Together, Sophie and Sarah have contributed immensely in the career of many directors over the course of time.