Iranian filmmaker Ali Ahmadzadeh clinched the Golden Leopard in the primary worldwide competitors of the 76th Locarno Film Festival along with his newest characteristic Critical Zone (Mantagheye Bohrani).
Ahmadzadeh was not in attendance to obtain the award as he’s at the moment banned from leaving his native Iran. Last month, the nation’s authorities summoned Ahmadzadeh to the Ministry of Security, the place he was pressured to tug Critical Zone from Locarno’s official competitors. The movie’s worldwide gross sales agent Luxbox Paris and the producer, Sina Ataeian Dena, additionally stated they’d obtained threatening emails and messages demanding the movie be pulled from the fest.
The pic, described as “a hymn to freedom and resistance in Iran,” was shot with out permission from authorities earlier than latest protests began. The plot follows a person who drives by way of Tehran’s underworld along with his canine, dealing medicine and therapeutic troubled souls. Born in Tehran in 1986, Critical Zone is Ahmadzadeh’s fourth characteristic. His movies largely chart Iran’s rebellious youth and their confrontation with the nation’s theocracy. Ahmadzadeh is formally banned from working as a filmmaker in Iran.
In different competitors awards, this yr’s newly launched gender-neutral performing awards went to 4 feminine actors and one male actor. In the primary competitors, the 2 Best Performance gongs went to Dimitra Vlagopoulou for her efficiency in Animal by Greek filmmaker Sofia Exarchou and Renée Soutendijk for Sweet Dreams by Ena Sendijarević. The award for Best Direction went to Maryna Vroda for Stepne, whereas French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux received the Europa Cinemas Label award for Best European Film with Yannick. The pic will obtain the help of the Europa Cinemas Network, with extra promotion and incentives for exhibitors to increase its run on display screen. Sold internationally by Kinology, Yannick is produced by Atelier de Production (France) and Chi-Fou-Mi Productions (France). 2023 marks the tenth time the Europa Cinemas Label has been awarded in Locarno.
This yr’s competitors jury featured Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Iranian actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Holy Spider) alongside French actor Lambert Wilson, European Film Academy CEO Matthijs Wouter Knol, and New York Lincoln Center’s president of movie Lesli Klainberg.
The competition opened with L’Étoile Filante (The Falling Star) by Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel. This night, the competition will shut with Shayda, introduced by director Noora Niasari and lead actress Ebrahimi. 214 movies screened throughout the competition program. On the trade facet, Locarno reported a progress of over 10% in attendees, welcoming 1,530 individuals on the occasion. This included 1,460 attending in particular person, whereas 70 had been on-line. 2022 noticed 1,377 (1,266 onsite, 111 on-line) guests.
Check out the total listing of winners beneath:
Concorso internazionale
Pardo d’oro, Grand Prize of the Festival of the City of Locarno to one of the best movie MANTAGHEYE BOHRANI (CRITICAL ZONE) by Ali Ahmadzadeh, Iran/Germany
Special Jury Prize of the Cities of Ascona and Losone NU AȘTEPTA PREA MULT DE LA SFÂRȘITUL LUMII (DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD) by Radu Jude, Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia
Pardo for Best Direction of the City and Region of Locarno Maryna Vroda for STEPNE, Ukraine/Germany/Poland/Slovakia
Pardo for Best Performance Dimitra Vlagopoulou for ANIMAL by Sofia Exarchou, Greece/Austria/Romania/Cyprus/Bulgaria
Pardo for Best Performance Renée Soutendijk for SWEET DREAMS by Ena Sendijarević, Netherlands/Sweden/Indonesia/Reunion
Special Mention NUIT OBSCURE – AU REVOIR ICI, N’IMPORTE OÙ by Sylvain George, France/Switzerland
Concorso Cineasti del presente
Pardo d’oro Concorso Cineasti del presente to one of the best movie HAO JIU BU JIAN (DREAMING & DYING) by Nelson Yeo, Singapore/Indonesia
Best Emerging Director Award of the City and Region of Locarno Katharina Huber for EIN SCHÖNER ORT, Germany
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+ CAMPING DU LAC by Éléonore Saintagnan, Belgium/France
Pardo for Best Performance Clara Schwinning for EIN SCHÖNER ORT by Katharina Huber, Germany
Pardo for Best Performance Isold Halldórudóttir and Stavros Zafeiris for TOUCHED by Claudia Rorarius, Germany
Special Mentions EKSKURZIJA (EXCURSION) by Una Gunjak, Bosnia-Herzegovina/Croatia/Serbia/France/Norway/Qatar NEGU HURBILAK by Colectivo Negu, Spain
First Feature
Swatch First Feature Award
HAO JIU BU JIAN (DREAMING & DYING) by Nelson Yeo, Singapore/Indonesia
Pardi di domani
Concorso Corti d’autore
Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film THE PASSING by Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan, USA
Special Mention and Short Film candidate of the Locarno Film Festival for the European Film Awards BEEN THERE by Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Switzerland
Concorso internazionale
Pardino d’oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film EN UNDERSØGELSE AF EMPATI (A STUDY OF EMPATHY) by Hilke Rönnfeldt, Denmark/Germany
Pardino d’argento SRG SSR for the International Competition DU BIST SO WUNDERBAR by Leandro Goddinho, Paulo Menezes, Germany/Brazil
Pardi di domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering Eric Okay. Boulianne for FAIRE UN ENFANT, Canada
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award NEGAHBAN (THE GUARD) by Amirhossein Shojaei, Iran
Special Mention THE LOVERS by Carolina Sandvik, Sweden
Concorso nazionale
Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Swiss Short Film LETZTE NACHT by Lea Bloch, Switzerland
Pardino d’argento Swiss Life for the National Competition NIGHT SHIFT by Kayije Kagame, Hugo Radi, Switzerland
Best Swiss Newcomer Award LETZTE NACHT by Lea Bloch, Switzerland
Pardo Verde Ricola
Pardo Verde Ricola ČUVARI FORMULE (GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA) by Dragan Bjelogrlić, Serbia/Slovenia/Montenegro/ North Macedonia
Special Mentions PROCIDA, movie made by the members of Procida Film Atelier, Italy VALLEY PRIDE by Lukas Marxt, Austria/Germany
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