The City of Lugano is renewing its screenwriter residency program for 2026, strengthening an initiative that has established itself over the years as a benchmark for the development of audiovisual projects in Italian-speaking Switzerland. The call for applications, promoted in collaboration with the Casa della Letteratura per la Svizzera italiana, the Gruppo regista e scriptaggitori della Svizzera italiana, the Ticino Film Commission, Castellinaria, and the Locarno Film Festival, offers three residency programs at Casa Pantrovà in Carona.

The initiative is part of a broader strategy to support writing and cultural production, aiming to strengthen the local creative community and foster dialogue among professionals in the sector.

Three residency profiles for audiovisual projects

The competition includes three different residencies for screenwriters, each aimed at specific profiles but united by a focus on the quality and professionalism of the projects.

The first is open to Swiss or foreign authors who have been resident in Switzerland for at least three years and are developing works in one of the national languages. Projects include feature films, short films, creative documentaries, animation, and multimedia or transmedia formats. Projects not in Italian must have a substantiated connection to the Ticino region.

The second residency is aimed exclusively at Swiss authors with projects in Italian, maintaining the same spectrum of genres and formats.

The third, named after Kurt Kläber and Lisa Tetzner Kläber, is dedicated to works addressed to childhood and adolescence, an increasingly central area in contemporary audiovisual reflection.

A month of work between writing and comparison

The Screenwriters' RESIDENCIES will take place from July 5th to August 2nd, 2026, and will last four weeks. The period will be entirely dedicated to developing stories, treatments, or script versions.

Selected participants will be guaranteed private accommodation at Casa Pantrovà and a stipend of 3,000 Swiss francs to cover accommodation and travel expenses. The financial contribution is contingent upon actual participation in the residency.

Alongside individual work, the program includes opportunities to meet other residents, cultural professionals, and the public, fostering openness and sharing of the creative process. There will also be plenty of networking opportunities with industry professionals, particularly during the Locarno Film Festival.

The winning project in the section dedicated to young people and very young people will also have the opportunity to present it at Castellinaria.

Application and selection procedures

Applications for the screenwriter residencies must be sent by May 15, 2026, to cultura@lugano.ch , exclusively in a single PDF format (maximum 10 MB).

The required dossier includes a project description, a cover letter, a CV with an accompanying filmography (if applicable), identification documents, and, if available, a draft or treatment of the screenplay.

The selection will be made by a committee composed of representatives of the sponsoring and partner organizations. The results will be announced in early June 2026, with the winners publicly announced.

The jury may also directly invite some candidates to submit their applications, without this affecting the autonomy of the final evaluation.

An investment in writing and the territory

The return of the RESIDENCIES for screenwriters confirms the commitment of Ticino institutions to supporting the ideation and development phase of audiovisual projects, often the most delicate and least visible.

Beyond financial support, the initiative's value lies in creating an environment conducive to concentration, exchange, and professional growth. An environment that, in the case of Casa Pantrovà, combines a welcoming atmosphere with openness to the local community.

Looking ahead, the program contributes not only to the development of new projects, but also to strengthening the cultural and productive network of Italian-speaking Switzerland, in dialogue with key national and international players in the sector.