For its 76th edition, the Locarno Festival awarded its highest honor to “Mantagheye bohrani” by Ali Ahmadzadeh, a film shot clandestinely in the streets of Tehran to escape the country’s authorities.
In a few figures, the 76th edition of the Locarno Festival, which ends on August 12, is dizzying: 214 films scheduled and 466 screenings. And rooms still full. After 11 days of celebrating international cinema, the jury, chaired by French actor Lambert Wilson, has delivered its verdict.
It was the German-Iranian film Mantagheye bohrani (Critical Zone) by Ali Ahmadzadeh which won the Golden Leopard, the supreme award. In this drama, shot in a particular context, “a lonely man walks through the slums of Tehran with his dog, selling drugs and healing lost souls like a modern prophet”.
The conception of this film was a real challenge since the shooting took place clandestinely, in Tehran, to escape the Iranian authorities.
The Special Jury Prize was awarded to the new film by Radu jude, highly acclaimed by spectators and journalists during the festival. Do not expect too much from the end of the world is intended as a contemporary and satirical rereading of Alice in Wonderland.
The story follows Angela, a production assistant, who travels the city of Bucharest and encounters on her way: “great entrepreneurs and real stalkers, rich and poor, people with severe disabilities and sex partners, her digital avatar and another Angela from an old forgotten movie”. The film is expected in France for September 27th.
On the interpretation side, the festival awarded this year, and for the first time, a gender-neutral prize. It is awarded ex aequo to Dimitra Vlagopoulou for Animal by Sofia Exarchou and Renée Soutendijk for Sweet Dreams by Ena Sendijarević.
Check out the full list:
International competition:
Pardo d’oro, Gran Prix of the City of Locarno Festival for the best film:
Mantagheye bohrani (Critical Zone) by Ali Ahmadzadeh
Special Prize of the Jury of the Cities of Ascona and Losone:
Don’t expect too much from the end of the world by Radu Jude
Pardo for the staging of the City and Region of Locarno:
Maryna Vroda for Stepne
Pardo for the best performance:
Dimitra Vlagopoulou for Animal by Sofia Exarchou
Pardo for the best performance:
Renée Soutendijk for Sweet Dreams by Ena Sendijarević
Special mention :
Dark night – Goodbye, here, anywhere by Sylvain George
Filmmakers of the present
Pardo d’oro Concorso Cineasti del presentse for the best film:
Hao Jiu Bu Jian (Dreaming & Dying) by Nelson Yeo
Prize for the best emerging director of the City and Region of Locarno:
Katharina Huber for Ein Schönerort
Special Prize of the CINÉ+ Jury:
Éléonore Saintagnan lake campsite
Pardo for the best performance:
Clara Schwinning for Ein Schöner ort by Katharina Huber
Pardo for the best performance:
Isold Halldórudóttir and Stavros Zafeiris for Touched by Claudia Rorarius
Special Mentions:
Una Gunjak Tour
Negu Hurbilak from Colectivo Negu
Prize for the best first feature film:
Hao Jiu Bu Jian (Dreaming & Dying) by Nelson Yeo
The full list can be found on the official website of the Locarno Festival.