74th Locarno Film Festival

The 74th annual Locarno Festival was held from 4 August to 14 August 2021 in Locarno, Switzerland. The opening film of the festival was '' Beckett'' by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, which had its world premiere on 4 August. The 74th edition of Locarno Film Festival hosted 14 films including 7 world premieres in Piazza Grande among which half were European productions. More than 75,000 spectators attended the festival. 50% less than the attendance rate in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Events

;Rotonda by la Mobiliare -Come together!
This event will be held from 30 July to 14 August. It is Locarno Film Festival’s communal space, which embraces existing audience and greets new people. It will have following platforms:
* Art
* Virtual Reality
* Forum
* Talks
* Music
* Food and beverage
* Kids town
* Come together

;Locarno Talks la Mobiliare
During the course of the film festival, it will be a stage for exchanging and debating ideas and perspectives. It will have encounters with people from the world of art, photography, cinema music, politics and science.

Cinema and youth

This is an initiative open to 28 final year students of high school or vocational school of Switzerland and Northern Italy, aged between 18 and 23. They will be privileged viewers as they may watch the screenings, meet directors and actors/actresses, attend specially organized introductory lectures on film language. In addition they will have access to the sidebar events.

Jury

International competition

* Eliza Hittman (Jury President), American screenwriter, film director and producer
* Kevin Jerome Everson (American artist and filmmaker)
* Philippe Lacôte (Director from Ivory Coast)
* Leonor Silveira (Portuguese film actress)
* Isabella Ferrari (Italian actress of television, theatre and the cinema)

Filmmakers of the present competition

* Agathe Bonitzer, (French actress)
* Mattie Do (Laotian American film director)
* Vanja Kaludjercic (Festival director)

Leopards of tomorrow

* Kamal Aljafari, (Palestinian filmmaker and artist)
* Marie-Pierre Macia, (French Producer)
* Adina Pintilie (Romanian film director, screenwriter, visual artist and curator)

First feature

* Amjad Abu Alala (Sudanese film director, screenwriter and producer)
* Karina Ressler (Austrian editor)
* Katharina Wyss (Switzerland, filmmaker)

Sections

Pre-festival

* ''LYNX'' by Laurent Geslin
* ''Tomorrow My Love'' by Gitanjali Rao

Piazza Grande

;Closing film:
:Highlighted title indicates closing film.
:Highlighted title indicates special award winning film.

International competition (''Concorso internazionale'')

:Highlighted title indicates award winner
:Highlighted title indicates Golden Leopard winner

Filmmakers of the present competition (''Concorso Cineasti del presente'')

Leopards of tomorrow (Pardi di domani)

The section consists of three competitions:
* International competition (Concorso internazionale): Works by emerging filmmakers from all over the world;
* National competition (Concorso nazionale): Swiss productions; and
* Competition of Author's Courts (Concorso Corti d’autore): short works by established directors

International competition (''Concorso internazionale'')

National competition (Concorso nazionale)

Competition of Author's Courts (Concorso Corti d’autore)

Out of competition (Fuori concorso)

Open doors screenings

History (s) of cinema (Histoire(s) du cinéma)

Retrospective (Retrospettiva)

Locarno Kids: screenings

Swiss panorama (Panorama Suisse)

Critics' week (Semaine de la critique)

Awards

Leopard of Honour (Pardo d’onore Manor award)

* John Landis was honored with Leopard of Honour, the lifetime achievement award (Pardo d’onore Manor award) on August 13 at Locarno’s Piazza Grande.

Special Awards

;Excellence Award Davide Campari

* Laetitia Casta received Excellence Award Davide Campari on 4 August 2021.

*Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards
**''In Flow of Words''
*Special Lifetime achievement award: Dario Argento

*Prix du public UBS Award: ''Hinterland'' by Stefan Ruzowitzky

*Variety Piazza Grande Award: ''Rose'' by Aurélie Saada

The following awards were presented for films shown in competition:

International competition

* '' Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas'' (''Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash'') By Edwin

* ''A New Old Play'' (''Jiao Ma Tang Hui'') by Qui Jiongjiong

* Abel Ferrara, '' Zeros and Ones''

* Mohamed Mellali, Valero Escolar, '' The Odd-Job Men'', (''Sis dies corrents'') by Neus Ballús

* Anastasiya Krasovskaya, '' Gerda'' by Natalya Kudryashova
*Special Mentions:
**''Soul Of A Beast'' by Lorenz Merz
**'' Espíritu sagrado'' (''The Sacred Spirit'') by Chema García Ibarra

Filmmakers of the present competition

* Golden Leopard - Filmmakers of the Present: ''Brotherhood'' by Francesco Montagner
* Special Jury Prize: ''L’Été L’éternité'' by Émilie Aussel
* Best Emerging Director: Hleb Papou, ''Il Legionario''
* Leopard for the Best Actress: Saskia Rosendahl, ''No One’s With the Calves'' by Sabrina Sarabi
* Leopard for the Best Actor: Gia Agumava, ''Wet Sand'', by Elene Naveriani

Leopards of Tomorrow

* Pardino d’oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film: ''Neon Phantom'' (''Fantasma Neon'') by Leonardo Martinelli
* Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Author Short Film: ''Creature'' (''Criatura'') by María Silvia Esteve
* Pardino d’argento SRG SSR for the International Competition: ''The Demons of Dorothy'', (''Les Démons De Dorothy'' by Alexis Langlois
* Pardi di domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering: Eliane Esther Bots, ''In Flow of Words''
* Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award: ''Home'' (''Imuhira'') by Myriam Uwiragiye Birara

*Special Mentions
**''First Time'' (''The Time For All But Sunset – Violet'') by Nicolaas Schmidt

National competition

* Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film: ''Strangers'' (''Chute'') by Nora Longatti
* Pardino d’argento Swiss Life for the National Competition: ''After A Room'' by Naomi Pacifique
* Best Swiss Newcomer Award: Flavio Luca Marano, Jumana Issa, ''It Must'' (''Es Muss'')

First feature

* Swatch First Feature Award: ''She Will'' by Charlotte Colbert
*Special Mention
**''Holy Emy'' (''Agia Emi'') by Araceli Lemos

References

External links

*

{{Locarno International Film Festival

Locarno
2021 festivals in Europe
2021 in Switzerland
Locarno Festival
Events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
August 2021 events in Switzerland