#Locarno69 Award Winners

Today the most famous Swiss competitive festival comes to an end with the screening of the award winning films and feel kind of sad as this year followed the fest via smart phone app and gee, was great! Thanks Locarno for creating a good, fine working app.

More interesting was the fest collaboration with Festival Scope as yes, was able to watch a couple of films for FREE; but to be honest, didn't enjoyed much the films (lol). Nevertheless the Festival Scope app is also very good and can be send to your TV via Airplay! Since I'm talking about the greatness of Locarno streaming and smart services, let me share that been experimenting with many app services that can stream films directly to your smart TV and my impression is that film distribution has changed! No, is not anymore, WILL change. Now streaming is an important mean to reach film audiences and is happening all over the world.

After so many great news let's go back to the Swiss festival and the award winners that to the surprise of many has several awards to films by female directors, including the Top Award. That's great for a change, isn't? Now let's hope films are great, as great films have no gender...

Concorso Internazionale

Golden Leopard: Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria, Denmark and France

Special Jury Prize: Inimi Cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts), Radu Jude, Romania and Germany
Special Mention: Mister Universe, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy

Best Direction: João Pedro Rodrigue for O Ornitólogo (The Ornitologist), Portugal, France and Brazil

Leopard for Best Actress: Irena Ivanova in Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria, Denmark and France
Leopard for Best Actor: Andrzej Seweryn in Ostatnia Rodzina (The Last Family), Jan P. Matuszyński, Poland

Concorso Cineasti del Presente

Golden Leopard: El Auge del Humano (The Human Surge), Eduardo Williams, Argentina, Brazil and Portugal

Special Jury Prize: The Challenge, Yuri Ancarani, Italy and France (documentary)
Special Mention: Viejo Calavera (Dark Skull), Kiro Russo, Bolivia and Qatar

Best Emerging Director: Mariko Tetsuya for ディストラクション・ベイビーズ Disutorakushon Beibizu (Destruction Babies), Japan

First Feature Competition

First Feature Award: El Futuro Perfecto (The Future Perfect), Nele Wohlatz, Argentina
Art Peace Hotel Award: Maud Alpi for Gorge Cœur Ventre (Still Life), France
Special Mention: El Auge del Humano (The Human Surge), Eduardo Williams, Argentina, Brazil and Portugal

Pardi di Domani (Short Film Competition)

Concorso Internationale (International Competition)

Golden Leopard Cub for Best International Short Film: L'Inmmense Retour (Romance), Manon Coubia, Belgium and France, 14'
Silver Leopard Cub: Cilaos, Camilo Restarepo, France, 12'
Special Mention: Non Castus, Andrea Castillo, Chile, 21'

Locano Nomination for European Film Awards-Premio Pianifica: L'Inmmense Retour (Romance), Manon Coubia, Belgium and France, 14'
Premio Film und Video Untertitelung: Valparaiso, Carlo Sironi, Italy, 20'

Concorso Nazionale (National Competition)

Golden Leopard Cub for Best Swiss Short Film: Die Brücke über den Fluss (The Bridge over the River), Jadwiga Kowalska, Switzerland, 6'
Silver Leopard Cub: Genesis, Lucien Monot, Switzerland, 17'
Best Swiss Newcomer: Manon Goupil for La Sève, Switzerland, 13'

Other Awards
Audience Award: I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach, UK and France
Variety Piazza Grande Award: Moka, Frédéric Mermoud, France and Switzerland

Independent Juries and Awards

FIPRESCI Award: Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy

Ecumenical Prize: Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria, Denmark and France
Special Mentions
Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainier Frimmel, Austria and Italy
Marija (Maria), Michael Koch, Germany and Switzerland

Europa Cinema Label: Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy

International Federation of Film Societies (IFFS) Award: Inimi Cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts), Radu Jude, Romania and Germany
Special Mention: Slava (Glory), Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Bulgaria and Greece

Junior Jury Awards
First Prize: Bangkok Nites, Katsuya Tomita, Japan, France, Thailand and Laos
Second Prize: Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy
Third Prize: 風に濡れた女 Kaze Ni Nureta Onna (Wet Woman in the Wind), Shiota Akihiko, Japan
Enviroment is Quality of Life Prize: Marija (Maria), Michael Koch, Germany and Switzerland

Cinema & Gioventù Jury for the Concorso Cineasti del presente Award: Afterlov, Stergios Paschos, Greece
Special Mention: El Futuro Perfecto (The Future Perfect), Nele Wohlatz, Argentina

Cinema & Gioventù Jury for the Pardi di domani Awards
Best International Short Film: Alepou (Fox), Jaqueline Lentzou, Greece, 28'
Best Swiss Short Film: Lost Exile, Fisnik Maxhuni, Switzerland, 29'
Special Mention: Genesis, Lucien Monot, Switzerland, 17'

Semaine de la Critique
SRG SSR Prize: Komunia (Communion), Anna Zamecka, Poland
Zonta Club Locarno Prize: Cahier Africain, Heidi Specogna, Switzeland and Germany

To check info about any of the above films go official site here.

69th Festival del Film Locarno Lineup

Today Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of Locarno festival, announced the lineup with films that renew the tradition of an event devoted to cinematic discoveries. But most interesting is also the tribute to Abbas Kiarostami and Michael Cimino, both winners of Locarno awards.

Also today fest organizers announced some surprises and guests of Locarno69 and if you wish to read the official announcement go here, some of the news is the screening of The Girl with All the Gifts by Com McCarthy, Bill Pullman will receive the Execellence Award, David Linde will receive the Premio Raimondo Rezzonico, Alejandro Jodorowsky gets the Pardo d'Onore, Howard Shore the Vision Award, plus more.

Announced earlier, The Concorso Cineasti del Presente will open with I Had Nowhere to Go by Douglas Gordon, a film based on Jonas Mekas's diary. Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director comments: “This year we decided to open the Concorso Cineasti del presente with a film that is the outcome of a collaboration between two internationally famous artists: Douglas Gordon, who for some years now has been interested in the “filmic event”, and Jonas Mekas, a magnificent 93-year-old, full of energy and still a fabulous storyteller. Although I do not want to reveal any more about this extraordinary project, I can say that Douglas Gordon offers us a truly sensorial experience, which challenges the concept of seeing, and links the idea of the present with that of memory”.

Announced last week, Roger Corman is the guest of honor at the Filmmakers Academy. Roger Corman will be paid tribute during the 69th edition of the Festival del film Locarno via screenings of two of his films. Guest of honor at the Filmmakers Academy, the training project for young directors, Corman has long been considered a cult filmmaker who helped change the way films are conceived, produced and directed.

Concorso Internazionale

In an edition of the festival powered by an energy that brooks no borders, the Concorso Internazionale presents 17 films that blow in from Japan to Portugal, from Bulgaria to Thailand.

Seventeen films and as many world premieres of which eight are directed by women. Newcomers vs returnees, experience vs youthfulness, discoveries vs already established talents, fiction, documentaries and hybrids. Seventeen different visions competing for the Pardo d’Oro.

Al Ma'wal Khodra Wal Wajh el Hassan (Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces), Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt
Bangkok Nites, Katsuya Tomita, Japan, France, Thailand, Laos
Correspondências, Rita Azevedo Gomes, Portugal (documentary)
ดาวคะนอง Dao Khanong (By the Time it Gets Dark), Anocha Suwichakornpong, Thailand, Netherlands, France and Qatar
Der Traumhafte Weg (The Dreamlike Path), Angela Schanelec, Germany
Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria, Denmark and France
Hermia & Helena, Matías Piñeiro, USA and Argentina
Inimi Cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts), Radu Jude, Romania and Germany
Jeunesse (The Young One), Julien Samani, France and Portugal
風に濡れた女 Kaze ni Nureta Onna (Wet Woman in the Wind), Akihiko Shiota, Japan
La Idea de un Lago (The Idea of A Lake), Milagros Mumenthaler, Switzerland, Argentina and Qatar
La Prunelle de Mes Yeux (The Apple of My Eye), Axelle Ropert, France
Marija (Maria), Michael Koch, Germany and Switzerland
Mister Universo, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria and Italy
O Ornitólogo (The Ornithologist), João Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal, France and Brazil
Ostatnia Rodzina (The Last Family), Jan P. Matuszyński, Poland
Slava (Glory), Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Bulgaria and Greece

Piazza Grande

An effervescent variety of blockbusters, arthouse films, debut movies, works by established masters. This is the main characteristic of a big screen which will lit up Piazza Grande from August 3 to August 13.

If the opening film of the Scottish director Colm McCarthy, The Girl with All the Gifts, will lead us into a dystopian future which is strictly connected to contemporary issues, the closing film - Ashutosh Gowariker's Mohenjo Daro - will see the return to Locarno of a big Indian production with a beautiful mix made of epics, music and dances.

Am Tag Als der Regen Kam (The Day It Rained), Gerd Oswald, Germany, 1959
Cessez-le-feu (Ceasefire), Emmanuel Courcol, France
Comboio de Sal e Açucar, Licínio de Azevedo, Portugal, Mozambique, France, South Africa and Brazil
Dans la forêt, Gilles Marchand, France and Sweden
I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loack, UK, France and Belgium
Interchange, Dain Iskandar Said, Malaysia and Indonesia
Jason Bourne, Paul Greengrass, USA
Le Ciel Attendra (Heaven Will Wait), Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, France
Mohenjo Daro, Ashutosh Gowariker, India
Moka by Frédéric Mermoud, France and Switzerland
Paula, Christian Schwochow, Germany and France
Poesia Sin Fin (Endless Poetry), Alejandro Jodorowsky, France and Chile
터널 Teo-Neol (The Tunnel), Kim Seong-hun, South Korea
The Girl With All the Gifts, Colm McCarthy, UK
Vincent, Christophe Van Rompaey, France and Belgium
Vor der Morgenröte - Stefan Zweig in Amerika (Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe), Maria Schraders, Germany, France and Austria

Check available info and trailers @MOC

If you wish to learn the Concorso Cineasti del Presente lineup with 15 first and second films, go official site here.  Also to check the short films lineup for the Pardi di Domani in two different competition, one international and another national (Swiss), go official site here.

Carlo Chatrian announces the program, in English.



This is the first time that we get a clear idea of what must be going in parallel to all cinema activities as believe is the first time we can see what goes on in La Rotonda and gee, seems the Swiss really know how to party (LOL), take a look.



On top, La Rotonda absolutely has the best graphic identity with the leopard in an unbelievably good jumping position (or perhaps not jumping, just in a tree branch or maybe doing something else, lol). Enjoy!

2016 Swiss Film Awards Winners

Last Friday, for the 19th time Swiss Films organization had their award ceremony where the favorite Köpek by Esen Isik won the top Quartz award and leading actress won top acting award, winning 2 of the 5 nominations it got.

Most interesting is that one of my favorite directors, Ursula Meier won a Quartz, this time for a short film!  Really miss her outstanding and (very) disturbing feature films, hope she makes one soon.

These are the award winners.

Best Feature Film: Köpek, Esen Isik
Best Documentary Film: Above and Below, Nicolas Steiner
Best Short Film: Kacey Mottet Klein, Naissance d'un acteur (Kacey Mottet Klein, Birth of an Actor), Ursula Meier, documentary, 14'
Best Animated Film: Erlkönig (Erlking), Georges Schwizgebel
Best Graduation Film: Ruben Leaves, Frederic Siegel from Haute école de Lucerne, animation, 5'

Best Actress: Beren Tuna in Köpek
Best Actor: Patrick Lapp in La vanité
Best Performance in a Supporting Role: Ivan Georgiev in La vanité

Best Cinematography: Felix von Muralt for Une cloche pour Ursli (Little Mountain Boy)
Best Screenplay: Micha Lewinsky for Nichts passiert (A Decent Man)
Best Editing: Kaya Inan for Above and Below
Best Film Score: Marcel Vaid for Als die Sonne vom Himmel fiel (The Day The Sun Fell)

Honorary Award 2016: Renato Berta for his lifetime work
Special Prize 2016
Guido Kelle for sound mixing in Köpek
Jacques Keiffer for sound mixing in Above and Bellow

To check films info at official site go here.