Critical Zone wins the Golden Leopard at Locarno
- The biggest awards of the festival went to three courageous and radical directors: the Iranian Ali Ahmadzadeh, the Ukrainian Maryna Vroda and the Romanian Radu Jude
Thematically and aesthetically, many films at this year’s Locarno Film Festival ventured outside of the usual and the consensus — a tendency reflected in the list of award winners, recognising audacious and poetic productions. On the highest step of the podium at the 76th edition of the festival was Critical Zone [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], the third feature film from Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh who, because of his political positions powerfully expressed in the film, has not been able to leave his country to go to Locarno. The subversive power of Critical Zone, focused on a group of young people yearning for freedom, seduced the jury headed by the French actor Lambert Wilson.
“The palmarès is the sign of a lively and restless cinema, capable of grasping the complexities of the present and engaging in a strong and motivated dialogue with the public,” stated the festival’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro. Proof of this are two films which, together with the Golden Leopard winner, raised themselves onto the podium of the International Competition. The first is Stepne [+see also:
film review
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film profile] (Leopard for Best Direction), the feature debut from Ukrainian director Maryna Vroda who searched her country’s past for links to an uncertain and frightening present. Stepne has also won the FIPRESCI award.
The second is Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile] by Romanian director Radu Jude, one of the favourite films of this edition, crowned with the Special Jury Prize. Provocative right from its title, this film both ambitious and extremely free is a social critique not without irony. In the same competition, the French/Swizz co-production Obscure Night - Goodbye Here, Anywhere [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sylvain George
film profile], by Sylvain George, which follows in severe and majestic black-and-white a group of young migrants waiting to reach Europe, won a Special Mention. The Leopards for Best Performance recognised two powerful, almost visceral portrayals, that of Dimitra Vlagopoulou in Animal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sofia Exarchou
film profile] by Sofia Exarchou, and that of Renée Soutendijk in Sweet Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ena Sendijarević
film profile] by Ena Sendijarević.
In the Cineasti del presente competition, meanwhile, the biggest awards recognised the inventiveness of two your directors on their first experience with the feature-length format: Nelson Yeo (Golden Leopard in the Cineasti del Presente Competition) and Katharina Huber (Award for Best Emerging Director). The former, born in Singapore, is already a well-known figure at the festival, having participated in the Locarno Fikmmakers Academy in 2018. Beside the Golden Leopard in the Cineasti del presente Competition, his film Dreaming & Dying also received the Swatch First Feature Award (award for best debut feature). Katharina Huber, awarded for A Good Place [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], won the Award for Best Emerging Director but also the Leopard for Best Performance, handed out to Clara Schwinning. The Award is shared with actors Isold Halldórudóttir and Stavros Zafeiris for their intense interpretations in Touched [+see also:
film review
film profile] from German director Claudia Rosarius. Completing the palmarès, Camping du Lac [+see also:
film review
interview: Éléonore Saintagnan
film profile], the somewhat surreal story of an impromptu holiday that holds many surprises, by the French director living in Brussels Éléonore Saintagnan, won the CINE+ Special Jury Prize, while Special Mentions went to the audacious films Excursion [+see also:
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film profile] from Sarajevo-born director Una Gunjak and Negu hurbilak [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] from Spain’s Colectivo Negu, both of them feature debuts.
As for the Piazza Grande it was once more Ken Loach, following his 2016 win with I, Daniel Blake [+see also:
film review
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film profile], who won the hearts of the audience, winning the Prix du Public UBS for The Old Oak [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Still in the Piazza Grande section, Guardians of the Formula [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Dragan Bjelogrlić
film profile] from Serbian actor, director and producer Dragan Bjelogrlić, won the Pardo Verde Ricola award as well as the Variety Piazza Grande Award. The film, set in 1985 during the Cold War, shows the tensions and paradoxes of a historical moment still vivid in the minds of many.
The full list of awards:
International Competition
Golden Leopard
Critical Zone [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ali Ahmadzadeh (Iran/Germany)
Special Jury Prize
Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile] - Radu Jude (Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia)
Leopard for Best Direction
Maryna Vroda - Stepne [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Ukraine/Germany/Poland/Slovakia)
Leopard for Best Performance
Dimitra Vlagopoulou - Animal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sofia Exarchou
film profile] (Greece/Austria/Romania/Cyprus/Bulgaria)
Renée Soutendijk - Sweet Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ena Sendijarević
film profile] (the Netherlands/Switzerland/Indonesia/France)
Special Mention
Obscure Night - Goodbye Here, Anywhere [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sylvain George
film profile] - Sylvain George (France/Switzerland)
Cineasti del presente Competition
Golden Leopard
Dreaming & Dying - Nelson Yeo (Singapore/Indonesia)
Award for Best Emerging Director from the City and Region of Locarno
Katharina Huber - A Good Place [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Germany)
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+
Camping du lac [+see also:
film review
interview: Éléonore Saintagnan
film profile] - Éléonore Saintagnan (Belgium/France)
Leopard for Best Performance
Clara Schwinning - A Good Place [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Isold Halldórudóttir, Stavros Zafeiris - Touched [+see also:
film review
film profile]
Special Mentions
Excursion [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Una Gunjak (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia/Serbia/France/Norway/Qatar)
Negu hurbilak [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Colectivo Negu (Spain)
Pardi di domani Competitions
International Competition
Golden Leopard SRG SSR for Best International Short Film
A Study of Empathy - Hilke Rönnfeldt (Denmark/Germany)
Silver Leopard SRG SSR for the International Competition
Du bist so wunderbar - Leandro Goddinho, Paulo Menezes (Germany/Brazil)
Best Direction Award Pardi di domani – BONALUMI Engineering
Eric K. Boulianne - Faire un enfant (Canada)
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award
The Guard - Amirhossein Shojaei (Iran)
National Competition
Golden Leopard Swiss Life for Best Swiss Short Film
Letzte Nacht - Lea Bloch (Switzerland)
Silver Leopard Swiss Life for the National Competition
Night Shift - Kayije Kagame, Hugo Radi (Switzerland)
Best Swiss Newcomer Award
Letzte Nacht - Lea Bloch (Switzerland)
Corti d’autore Competition
Golden Leopard Swiss Life for Best Auteur Short Film
The Passing - Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan (USA)
Special Mention and Locarno Film Festival short selected for the European Film Awards
Been There - Corina Schwingruber Ilić (Switzerland)
Semaine de la critique
Grand Prix Semaine de la critique – Prix SRG SSR
Monogamia – Ohad Milstein (Israel)
Marco Zucchi Award
Les premiers jours - Stéphane Breton (France)
Zonta Club Locarno Award
Les sœurs Pathan - Eléonore Boissinot (France)
Other awards
Swatch First Feature Award (Award for Best Feature Debut)
Dreaming & Dying - Nelson Yeo (Singapore/Indonesia)
UBS Audience Award
The Old Oak [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ken Loach (UK/France/Belgium)
Variety Piazza Grande Award
Guardians of the Formula [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dragan Bjelogrlić
film profile] - Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia/ Slovenia/ Montenegro)
Pardo Verde
Guardians of the Formula - Dragan Bjelogrlić
Special Mentions
Procida [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - film directed by the participants of the Film Atelier Procida (Italy)
Valley Pride - Lukas Marxt (Austria/Germany) (short film)
Label Europa Cinemas
Yannick [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Quentin Dupieux (Francia)
FIPRESCI Award
Stepne - Maryna Vroda
Ecumenical Award
Patagonia [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Simone Bozzelli (Italy)
Special Mention
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World - Radu Jude
(Translated from Italian)
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