A total of over 1,000 English-language proposals for inclusion in the #ijf24 programme were received from all over the world. On deadline day 31 December alone we received no less than 161 proposals. This is, by a significant margin, the highest number of proposals we have ever received.
We acknowledge the experience, expertise, time and energy which goes into the preparation of these proposals and we take this opportunity to thank all those who participated.
We concluded on 10 January our notification of the accepted proposals. Many of those who made proposals will have been disappointed. Many proposals which deserved on merit to be selected were not. We simply do not have sufficient programme space.
We are aware of the need to do something about this situation. The #ijf24 programme structure set up months ago cannot now be changed. For #ijf25 however we are considering making a radical change in the programme structure which will hopefully alleviate matters and help to reduce the number of unselected high-quality proposals.
To those whose proposals were not accepted our message therefore is the following; please do not be discouraged. We invite you to submit proposals for the 2025 festival (submission deadline 31 December 2024) in the knowledge that – budget permitting – the total number of English-language session slots will be significantly higher than in 2024.
We look forward to welcoming the festival community back to Perugia in April. A heartfelt thanks to you all.
Arianna and Chris
Photo credit: Sala Brugnoli #ijf23 by Luca Vanelli