Young German cinema at the Locarno Film Festival | free press

2023-08-01 12:11:46

The 76th Locarno Film Festival invites you to the shores of Lake Maggiore at the beginning of August. Again the slogan applies: Locarno is the smallest of the big and the biggest of the small film festivals.

Locarno.

From August 2nd to 12th, the Swiss holiday resort of Locarno will again be the center of the film world for ten days. The 76th Locarno Film Festival invites you. 214 short, feature, documentary and experimental films will be screened in various sections and competitions.

German cinema widely represented

Locarno has always been lured less with glitz and glamor than with strong cinematic art. Young filmmakers set the tone. The festival is considered the main platform for new talent. Later director stars such as Woody Allen, Andrei Tarkovsky and the Coen brothers started their world careers here.

German cinema is well represented this year. Three female directors are presenting their feature films at the “Cineasti del presente” (“Filmmakers of the Present”) competition for young talents: Claudia Rorarius shows “Touched”, Katharina Huber “A beautiful place” and Katharina Lüdin “And that one is able to live without deception”. Despite all their formal differences, what their films have in common is that they go in search of meaning with young heroines.

17 films from all over the world compete

In the main competition, the “Concorso internazionale”, two films are shown that were realized with the participation of German producers: “Stepne” (Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Slovakia) by the Ukrainian director Maryna Vroda and “Critical Zone” (Iran, Germany) by the Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh. 17 films from all over the world compete here for the most important award of the festival, the Golden Leopard.

This year, too, the evening open-air screenings of films outside of all competitions for thousands of viewers are likely to be the be-all and end-all of the festival. Highlights here include this year’s Palme d’Or winner in Cannes, the gripping French crime drama ‘Anatomie d’une chute’, starring German film star Sandra Hüller.

A canvas in Locarno.

Some stars are expected

Celebrities are not the focus of the festival. But some star appearances are promised. For example, the English actor and musician Riz Ahmed, who has been highly regarded since his Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a punk musician in the drama “The Sound of Metal” (2021), the Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård (“Mamma Mia!”) and Englands are expected Legendary director Ken Loach (“I, Daniel Blake”).

World star Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) has announced that he will be at the finale of the festival. The Oscar winner arrives as producer of the drama “Shayda” from Iranian-Australian filmmaker Noora Niasari. Cate Blanchett is supposed to give the final gala under the stars a special shine. The Golden Leopard and the film festival’s other prizes will be awarded at this gala in the late evening of August 12th.

British actor and musician Riz Ahmed. (dpa)