A Promise of Exciting Meetings
My name is Loïc Valceschini, I am 20 years old and I live in Yverdon-les-Bains, in Switzerland. I am studying at the University of Lausanne, where I am attending cinema and English classes. I love all kinds of films, although I do like fantasy and science fiction a lot.
This might be funny, but I never asked myself why I wanted to be a film critic. Now that I am actually thinking about it, I cannot even answer that question. Since a very earlier age, I always loved writing, and cinema quickly turned out to be my number one passion. Maybe the cross-breeding of these two main interests made me want to be a film critic, but otherwise I do not think that I have a specific reason for that matter.
The situation of both cinema and film criticism in Switzerland is rather difficult to describe. Swiss cinema is perhaps more famous for its documentaries, although there has been an increasing number of fictional features during the last few years. Last year for instance, Swiss cinema took a step forward with the making of its first science fiction film, Cargo, directed by Ivan Engler. However, it is a shame that the latter had to fight in order to find funding for his movie. Actually, I think that he needed eight years to achieve it! The problem in Switzerland is that funding depends upon the State – through the OFC (l'Office Fédérale de la Culture), and without its financial help, it is practically impossible to make a film, since it is even harder to find money.
As far as the film critics are concerned, there is sadly no magazine dedicated to cinema – well, at least in the French part of the country. Thus, the only criticisms and articles about films that we find are in regular newspapers, on Wednesdays (the day when new films come out) and sometimes on weekends. This is why I got interested in foreign magazines (French ones, and then English ones), which are specialized in cinema. The best alternative for film critics remains the Internet, where it is possible to write quite easily and where one can practice writing. This is why I work for several websites because it is a good training, and also because it grants me with some journalistic devices, such as accreditation to festivals and an access to press screenings.
Finally, it is a great honour for me to have been selected for the 8th Berlinale Talent Campus! I am very fond of film festivals and I’ve always wanted to be at the Berlinale. Besides, I love the city of Berlin, and I am really looking forward to meeting some people who are as passionate as I am, and also to be coached by professionals.
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