From August 2, 2023, the 76th edition of the Locarno International Film Festival kicks off. For 10 days, artists from all over the world will come to punctuate this somewhat special competition in the context of a Hollywood strike.
A celebration of demanding and international auteur cinema, the Locarno International Film Festival returns from August 2 to 12, 2023. Located near the shores of Lake Maggiore, the event welcomes filmmakers from all walks of life and is already announcing more than a hundred screenings, between shorts, feature films and world premieres.
This is the first major film event to see the light of day since the start of the actors’ strike in Hollywood, launched on July 13. As a result, actor Riz Ahmed, expected to receive the Davide Campari Excellence Award, had to cancel his presence.
The short film Dammi, directed by Frenchman Yann Demange and in which he appears, will nevertheless be presented at the opening session on August 2 in the Piazza Grande square. Isabelle Adjani, also starring in this short film, will honor her presence.
Sweden’s Stellan Skarsgård, winner of the 2023 Leopard Club Award, has also decided to forfeit his award in a show of solidarity with the strike. He will still be present on site to present What Remains by Ran Huang.
Among the personalities present, we can mention the director Harmony Korine (Sping Breakers) who will receive the Pardo d’onore Manor; Renzo Rossellini, honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award; but also Lambert Wilson, president of the Concorso internazionale jury, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Deva Cassel, Radu Jude, Ken Loach, Bertrand Mandico, Barbet Schroeder and Istvan Szabó.
French cinema will be represented, among others, by the Palme d’Or Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, presented on the Piazza Grande square; Quentin Dupieux’s new film, Yannick; the presentation of La Voie royale by Frédéric Mermoud and Bonjour la langue, the latest feature film by filmmaker Paul Vecchiali, who died on January 18th.
international competition
Yannick, Quentin Dupieux
Home, Leonor Teles
El Auge del humano 3, Eduardo Williams
Animal, Sofia Exarchou
Essential Truths of the Lake, Lav Diaz
Mangfa O’Terra, Basil Da Cunha
The Permanent Image, Laura Ferrés
Critical Zone, Ali Ahmadzadeh
Don’t Expect too Much of the End of the World, Radu Jude
Lousy Carter, Bob Byington
Dark night – goodbye here, anywhere, Sylvain George
The Invisible Fight, Rainer Sarnet
Rossosperanza, Annarita Zambrano
Sweet Dreams, Ena Sendijarevic
Patagonia, Simone Bozzelli
The Vanishing Soldier, Dani Rosenberg
Stepne, Maryna Vroda
Concorso Cineasti del presente
The Bite, Roman of Saint-Blanquat
Ein Schöner Ort, Katharina Huber
Excursion, Una Gunjak
Family Portrait, Lucy Kerr
Lake campsite, Eléonore Saintagnan
Negu hurbilak, Colectivo Negu
Dreaming & Dying, Nelson Yeo
Todos los incendios, Mauricio Calderon Rico
On the Go, Marie Gisèle Royo & Julia de Castro
Rapture, Dominic Sangma
River, Hugues Hariche
Touched, Claudia Rorarius
Whispers of Fire & Water, Lubdhak Chatterjee
West Border, Yan Luo
Und dass man ohne Täuschung zu leben vermag, Katharina Lüdin
Piazza Grande
Anatomy of a fall, Justine Triet
Dammi, Yann Mounir Demange
Falling Stars, Richard Karpala & Gabirle Bienczycki
The Shooting Star, Fiona Gordon & Dominique Abel – opening film
La Bella estate, Laura Luchetti
La Paloma, Daniel Schmid
Magnetic Continent, Luc Jacquet
The Royal Way, Frédéric Mermoud
Smugglers, Ryoo Seung-wan
First case, Victoria Musiedlak
Non sono quello che sono – The Tragedy of Othello di W. Shakespeare, Edoardo Leo
The Old Oak, Ken Loach
Theater Camp, Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman
Cuvari formula, Dragan Bjelogrlic
Shayda, Noora Niasari – closing film
See the full selection here.