(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The Locarno Film Festival has a new director. Since December 1 last year, Lili Hinstin, 42, has taken up the challenge to maintain the relevance of Switzerland's most prestigious film festival. She has big plans.
Hinstin replaces Carlo Chatrian, who was appointed director of the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival) just before the start of Locarno's last edition, in August 2018 – when the festival also signed a gender-parity pledge that is being adopted by many other film festivals around the world.
Indeed, the appointment of Hinstin is certainly a gesture in this direction, even if she is not the first woman to lead the festival (Irene Bignardi reigned from 2000 to 2005). Yet the former director of the Belfort International Film Festival (EntreVues) in France is an experienced programmer and film producer in her own right.
Born and raised in Paris, Hinstin comes from a family marked by curious entanglements within French history and arts.
One of her great-grandfathers was an army general who led the suppression of the Paris Commune in 1871 – 'not exactly a point of honour for the family, that's why we never spoke much about him', she says. His brother, Gustave Hinstin, was a teacher and possible lover of the poet Isidore Ducasse, aka Comte de Lautréamont, who dedicated his 'Poésies' to 'Monsieur Hinstin, mon ancien professeur de rhétorique'.
Lili's grandfather, Charles Hinstin, was a true archetype of the 20th century adventurer: mechanic in Chicago in the 1920s, gold prospector in Cameroon, Resistance fighter during the war, ended his days in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was there, shortly before his death in 1962, that he also met French writer Joseph Kessel (author of 'Belle de Jour') and became the main character in one of his short stories, 'The Zombie'.
MENAFN3001201902100000ID1098046535
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.