The 2018 edition of the Locarno Festival ended with A Land Imagined by director Yeo Siew Hua being crowned the winner of the Golden Lepoard for Best Film. In A Land Imagined, Wang, a lonely construction worker from China, goes missing at a Singapore land reclamation site after forming a virtual friendship with a mysterious gamer. Lok, a police investigator, has to uncover the truth in order to find him.
Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director commented “Held in extremely high temperatures, Locarno71 was a rich and diversified edition, just as it is in the tradition of a festival which is not afraid to approach extremes and to combine a smile with reflection. The guests who brought their experience and congeniality, were joined by new ideas that were well received, I think about the critical success of the film La Flor or the wonderful response of the audience to the night screening of the television series by Bruno Dumont, for example. In the aesthetic search for a form suited to a rapidly changing actuality, where images seem omnipresent, the award-winning films tell of a world where man is still the measure of all things. With 12 award-winning women – among two Swiss directors – out of 25 awards, the 71st edition confirmed that Locarno is a festival where one plans the future”.
The 72nd Locarno Festival will be held from August 7 to 17, 2019.
Concorso internazionale
Pardo d’oro (Golden Leopard)
A LAND IMAGINED by YEO Siew Hua, Singapore / France / The Netherlands
Premio Speciale della giuria (Special Jury Prize)
M by Yolande Zauberman, France
Pardo per la miglior regia (Leopard for Best Direction)
TARDE PARA MORIR JOVEN by Dominga Sotomayor, Chile / Brazil / Argentina / The Netherlands / Qatar
Pardo per la miglior interpretazione femminile (Pardo for Best Actress)
Andra Guți for ALICE T. by Radu Muntean, Romania / France / Sweden
Pardo per la miglior interpretazione maschile (Pardo for Best Actor)
KI Joobong for GANGBYUN HOTEL (Hotel by the River) by HONG Sangsoo, South Korea
Special Mention
RAY & LIZ by Richard Billingham, United Kingdom
Concorso Cineasti del presente
Pardo d’oro Cineasti del presente for the best film
CHAOS by Sara Fattahi, Austria / Syria / Lebanon / Qatar
Premio per il miglior regista emergente – Città e Regione di Locarno (Prize for the Best Emerging Director)
DEAD HORSE NEBULA by Tarık Aktaş, Turkey
Premio Speciale della Giuria Ciné+ Cineasti del presente (Special Jury Prize)
CLOSING TIME by Nicole Vögele, Switzerland / Germany
Special Mentions
FAUSTO by Andrea Bussmann, Mexico / Canada
Rose, character of L’ÉPOQUE by Matthieu Bareyre, France
Signs of Life
Signs of Life Award ELECTRONIC-ART.FOUNDATION to the Best Film
HAI SHANG CHENG SHI (The Fragile House) by LIN Zi, China
Fundación Casa Wabi – Mantarraya Award
LE DISCOURS D’ACCEPTATION GLORIEUX DE NICOLAS CHAUVIN by Benjamin Crotty, France
First Feature
Swatch First Feature Award (Prize for Best First Feature)
ALLES IST GUT by Eva Trobisch, Germany
Swatch Art Peace Hotel Award
RŪGŠTUS MIŠKAS (Acid Forest) by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Lithuania
Special Mention
TIRSS, RIHLAT ALSOO’OUD ILA ALMAR’I (Erased, Ascent of the Invisible) by Ghassan Halwani, Lebanon
Pardi di domani
Concorso internazionale
Pardino d’oro for the Best International Short Film – Premio SRG SSR
D’UN CHÂTEAU L’AUTRE by Emmanuel Marre, Belgium / France
Pardino d’argento SRG SSR for the Concorso Internazionale
HEART OF HUNGER by Bernardo Zanotta, The Netherlands
Pardi di domani Best Direction Prize – PIANIFICA
EL LABERINTO by Laura Huertas Millán, France / Columbia / USA
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award
JE SORS ACHETER DES CIGARETTES by Osman Cerfon, France
Special Mention
LA MÁXIMA LONGITUD DE UN PUENTE by Simón Vélez, Columbia / Argentina
Concorso nazionale
Pardino d’oro for the Best Swiss Short Film – Premio Swiss Life
LOS QUE DESEAN by Elena López Riera, Switzerland / Spain
(Locarno Short Film Nominee For The European Film Awards 2018)
Pardino d’argento Swiss Life for the Concorso nazionale
ABIGAÏL by Magdalena Froger, Switzerland
Best Swiss Newcomer Award
ICI LE CHEMIN DES ÂNES by Lou Rambert Preiss, Switzerland
Prix du Public UBS
BLACKKKLANSMAN by Spike Lee, USA
Variety Piazza Grande Award
LE VENT TOURNE by Bettina Oberli, Switzerland, France