Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, Europe’s biggest mid-Summer movie event, has announced its lineup, welcoming recognizable names to its main competition, from Filipino auteur Lav Diaz (“Essential Truths of the Lake”) to Romanian powerhouse Radu Jude, who will show “Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World.”
As already announced, Cate Blanchett and Zar Amir Ebrahimi are set to attend the Locarno Film Festival’s closing night to promote the European launch of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari’s debut film “Shayda.”
Among the titles selected for Locarno’s more broad-audience-friendly Piazza Grande lineup, Justine Triet will attend with her Cannes Palme’ d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” along with Ken Loach and his “The Old Oak.”
The festival will also celebrate the careers of Harmony Korine, producer Marianne Slot, editor Pietro Scalia, Tsai Ming-liang and present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Italian producer Renzo Rossellini.
Oscar and Emmy winner Riz Ahmed will pick up the Excellence Award Davide Campari, honoring “artistic personalities whose contributions have made a mark on contemporary cinema.” Ahmed is behind the Academy Award winning short “The Long Goodbye”; he was also nominated for his turn in “Sound of Metal.”
“[French director Jacques]Rivette writes somewhere: ‘Cinema is, fundamentally, a descriptive and didactic art: the two are linked. Its true vocation is the essay: Descriptive ordering of reality, the revealing of the relationships, connections and concordances of various phenomena.’ This is what I tried, with my modest talent, to do in this film,” Jude, a Berlinale Golden Bear winner, said of “Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World.”.
“[I wanted] to connect different stories (about exploitation, death and images), different genres (a road-movie, comedy, montage film, documentary), various types of humor and various aesthetic strategies, which I hope the audience will discover with delight.”
Ilinca Manolache, Ovidiu Pîrșan and Nina Hoss play the main parts.
One of France’s most prolific filmmakers, Quentin Dupieux (of “Rubber” fame), will also contend in main International Competition.
“‘Yannick’ is simply Quentin’s best and most mature film to date, it’s both meaningful and ferocious. We are more than very proud to bring this gem to the international audience,” said Grégoire Melin of Kinology, who is handling sales.
Also in International Competition, Sofia Exarchou, inspired by Greece’s mass-tourism industry, will bring “Animal,” trying to “compose an allegory about labor in modern Western European societies,” she said.
Leonor Teles will focus on “Home” (“Leonor’s cinema is like a colored emotion that doesn’t leave you, the memory of love and being loved,” stated Paris-based Totem Films), while Iran’s Ali Ahmadzadeh introduces “Critical Zone.”
Ukrainian Maryna Vroda is also bound to raise interest with “Stepne,” sold by New Europe Film Sales, in which a man comes back to take care of his dying mother, but then she tells him about a treasure.
“We have been following Maryna’s career since she won the Cannes’ Palme d’Or for best short film [‘Cross-Country’]. I’m happy that Locarno recognized this delicate and personal movie and that Stepne and its people won’t be forgotten,” said NEFS boss Jan Naszewski.
Estonia’s Rainer Sarnet, behind the unforgettable “November,” will invite the viewers to join “The Invisible Fight.”
“Rainer was once asked what connects kung-fu and Orthodoxy. He said: ‘Both defy gravity.’ I took it to the production side as well,” shared producer Katrin Kissa.
“When the monks were flying or the donkeys had to learn how to dance, or there was a sudden gap in funding in the middle of the shoot, I always tried not to lose joy. Such an essential part of this film.”
“I wanted it to be flat and bright, like 70s pop art and orthodox iconography, like 1970s kung-fu movies and Soviet comedies. I found a place in myself to draw from such bright silliness. It was quite close to the heart,” added the director.
“The world in all its expressions and manifestations is present in the Locarno selection. And therefore, cinema and all its possibilities. All still to be discovered,” summed it Locarno artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro.
Luc Jacquet’s “Continent Magnétique,” Dragan Bjelogrlić’s “Guardians of the Formula,” Yann Mounir Demange’s “Dammi” will deliver world premieres in Piazza Grande, as well as Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki with “Falling Stars.” “L’étoile Filante,” “La Bella Estate,” “Première Affaire” and “La Voie Royale” add to brand new titles.
Locarno Film Festival’s 2023 International Competition Titles:
“Animal”
Dir. Sofia Exarchou
Greece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria
Production: Homemade Films
Greek director behind well-received “Park” returns with her second feature. As reported by Variety, it will take place “amidst the sweaty nights of an eternal summer,” focusing on entertainers who work at an all-inclusive island resort. Sold by Shellac, with Nabis Filmgroup, Digital Cube, Felony Film Productions and ARS Digital Studio co-producing.
“Baan”
Dir. Leonor Teles
Portugal
Production: Uma Pedra no Sapato
Sold by Paris-based Totem Films, this is her feature debut. The Portuguese director and cinematographer, born in 1992, has already made documentary “Terra Franca,” as well as award-winning shorts “Batrachian’s Ballad” – which triumphed in Berlin – and “Dogs Barking at Birds.”
“Critical Zone” (“Mantagheye bohrani”)
Dir. Ali Ahmadzadeh
Iran, Germany
Production: Counter Intuitive film
In this Luxbox-sold film, a lonely man drives through Tehran’s underworld with his dog, dealing drugs and healing troubled souls “like a modern prophet.” He navigates the city streets aimlessly, getting high to escape a town with no future. Amir Pousti, Shirin Abedinirad, Maryam Sadeghiyan and Alireza Keymanesh are in the cast.
“Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World” (“Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii”)
Dir. Radu Jude
Romania, Luxembourg, France, Croatia
Production: 4 Proof Film
Divided into two parts, it follows an overworked production assistant who must drive around Bucharest to film the casting for a workplace safety video. In the second half, one of her interviewees makes a statement that ignites a scandal. Heretic has acquired worlds sales. Paul Thiltges Distributions, Les Films d’Ici, Kinorama and microfilm are also involved.
“Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World”
Credit: 4 Proof Film
“Essential Truths of the Lake”
Dir. Lav Diaz
Philippines, France, Portugal, Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, U.K.
Production: Epicmedia Productions, Films Boutique, Rosa Filmes
Arthouse icon Diaz – who scored a Venice’s Gold Lion for “The Woman Who Left” – will treat the audience to his latest film, co-produced by Tiers Pictures, Volos Films Italia, Bord Cadre films and Sovereign Films. The Filipino filmmaker recently presented “When the Waves Are Gone,” which premiered in 2022, he is also behind Locarno success “From What Is Before.”
“The Human Surge 3” (“El Auge del Humano 3”)
Dir. Eduardo Williams
Argentina, Portugal, Netherlands, Taiwan, Brazil, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Peru
Production: Un Puma
Argentinian director follows Locarno winner “The Human Surge” with a story featuring multiple protagonists, proving that people are similar everywhere. “It arose from the idea of making a film that had both documentary and science fiction in it,” he said in a statement. Co-produced by Oublaum Filmes, Revolver Amsterdam, Rediance, Estúdio Giz and Volos Films.
“The Invisible Fight” (“Nähtamatu võitlus”)
Dir. Rainer Sarnet
Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Finland
Production: Homeless Bob Production
The director behind Estonian revelation “November” takes on a guard on the Soviet-Chinese border who, after surviving an attack, decides to become a monk. Co-produced by White Picture, Neda Film and Helsinki-Filmi. “It’s a rock’n’roll gospel, where everyone can find the joy of sanctity; even the simple minded and childish,” he admitted. “Anything can be holy.”
“Lousy Carter”
Dir. Bob Byington
U.S.
Production: Americano Brutto
Written and directed by Byington, the film welcomes the likes of David Krumholtz (recently spotted in “White House Plumbers”), Martin Starr and Olivia Thirlby, taking on the story of a man who suddenly decides to take more risks in life. The American director is no stranger to Locarno, awarded for his 2012 Nick Offerman starrer “Somebody Up There Likes Me.”
“Manga D’Terra”
Dir. Basil Da Cunha
Switzerland, Portugal
Production: Akka Films
Rosa leaves her two children in Cape Verde and relocates to Lisbon in the hope of giving them a better life. Caught between the harassment of gangster bosses and daily police violence, she tries to find comfort in the women of the community, and music. Before, Da Cunha made “The End of the World” (“O Fim do Mundo”).
“Nuit Obscure – Au Revoir Ici, N’Importe Où”
Dir. Sylvain George
France, Switzerland
Production: Noir Production
George, a French director and cinematographer interested in depicting immigration and social movements, follows “Obscure Night – Wild Leaves” (“Nuit obscure – feuillets sauvages”) with his next ambitious undertaking. The film is co-produced by Alina Film. “The Fragments (My Mouth, My Revolt, My Name)” scored him a win in Torino.
“Patagonia”
Dir. Simone Bozzelli
Italy
Production: Wildside
Vision Distribution and Rai Cinema join forces on this anticipated first feature, sold by Vision Distribution. A Locarno alumni thanks to his short “Playtime” (also awarded in Venice for “J’ador”), Bozzelli now casts Andrea Fuorto and Augusto Mario Russi in a story about “journey and love that turns into a cage of pleasures and sorrows,” it was stated.
“The Permanent Picture” (“La Imatge Permanent”)
Dir. Laura Ferrés
Spain, France
Production: Fasten Films
In her first feature, Catalonia’s Ferrés – who delivered Goya Award-winning short “The Disinherited,” which won the 2017 Cannes Critics’ Week Leica Cine Discovery Prize – turns her attention to the world of advertising and complicated family dynamics, following a disillusioned casting director suffering from a midlife crisis. The film, co-written by “Magical Girl” helmer Carlos Vermut, is co-produced by Le Bureau and sold by Be for Films.
“Rossosperanza”
Dir. Annarita Zambrano
Italy, France
Production: Mad Entertainment
Awarded at Les Arcs’ work in progress, where jurors praised the “free-spirited and ambitious director,” Annarita Zambrano’s black comedy “Rossosperanza” is co-produced by Minerva Pictures – also responsible for sales – and France’s TS Productions. Set in the 1980s, it unfolds at a luxurious villa turned into a rehabilitation center for troubled children.
“Stepne”
Dir. Maryna Vroda
Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Slovakia
Production: VRODASTUDIO
Co-produced by Babelsberg Film University Konrad Wolf, Tandem Production, Koi Studio, New Europe Film Sales and Kerekes Film, with New Europe Film Sales handling sales. Set amidst Ukrainian winter landscapes and emerging feelings of alienation between people in a post-Soviet society, it’s a story of Anatoliy, who comes back home to take care of his mother.
“Sweet Dream”
Dir. Ena Sendijarević
Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia, Réunion
Production: Lemming Film
Co-production: Plattform Produktion, VPRO, Film i Väst, Talamedia
Another proposition from Heretic, it’s set on a remote Indonesian island during its colonial era. “Through this satirical period film about a Dutch-Indonesian family trying to deal with their heritage, I wanted to address Europe’s colonial history, to understand how the past influences Western Europe’s relationship with the rest of the world today,” Sendijarević told Variety.
“The Vanishing Soldier”
Dir. Dani Rosenberg
Israel
Production: United Channel Movies, United King Films
Already noticed for “The Death of Cinema and My Father Too,” granted the “Cannes Label” mark, Rosenberg shows an 18-year-old Israeli soldier who flees back to his girlfriend in Tel Aviv only to discover that the military elite is convinced he was kidnapped in the fog of war. Ido Tako, Mika Reiss and Efrat Ben Tzur are in the cast, with Intramovies on board. “It portrays the absurdity of war through the existential flight of a youngster, trapped by his social duties but willing to have a life and a future,” says Intramovies’ Geremia Biagotti.
“Yannick”
Dir. Quentin Dupieux
France
Production: Atelier de Production, Chi-Fou-Mi Productions
Kinology is ready to introduce Dupieux’s latest, a surprise movie already set for French release in the summer. The prolific French filmmaker presented not one, but two films in 2022, “Incredible but True” and “Smoking Causes Coughing.” With Raphaël Quenard and Pio Marmaï, Blanche Gardin also stars.
Further Locarno Titles
PIAZZA GRANDE
“Anatomy of a Fall,” (“Anatomie d’une Chute,” (Justine Triet, France)
Prod: Les Films Pelléas, Les Films de Pierre. Co-prod: France 2 Cinéma, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma. Intl. sales: MK2 Films. Swiss distributor: Filmcoopi Zürich.
“Continent Magnétique,” (Luc Jacquet, France)
Prod: Paprika Films. Co-prod: Aster Production, Arte France Cinéma, Memento Production. Intl. sales: Playtime. Swiss distributor: Xenix Filmdistribution
“Guardians of the Formula,” (Dragan Bjelogrlić, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia)
Prod: Cobra Film. Co-prod: Ton Film, Perfo, Bitter Frames Production, Skopje Film Studio.
“Dammi,” (Yann Mounir Demange, France)
Prod: Vixens, AMI Paris. Co-prod: Wayward Films.
“Falling Stars,” (Richard Karpala, Gabriel Bienczycki, U.S.)
Prod: Latarka Studio, Zebra Visual. Intl. sales: Raven Banner Entertainment.
“L’étoile Filante,” (Fiona Gordon, Dominique Abel, France, Belgium)
Prod: Moteur S’il Vous Plaît, Courage Mon Amour. Co-prod: RTBF (Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française), Proximus, VOO & Be tv, Shelter Prod. Intl. sales: MK2 Films.
“La Bella Estate,” (Laura Luchetti, Italy)
Prod: Kino Produzioni, Rai Cinema, 9.99 Films. Intl sales: True Colours. Swiss distributor: Xenix Filmdistribution.
“City of Women,” (“La Città Delle Donne,” (Federico Fellini, Italy, France)
Prod: Opera Film Produzione, Gaumont. Intl. sales: Gaumont.
“La Paloma,” (Daniel Schmid, Switzerland, France)
Prod: Citel Films, Artco Film, Les Films du Losange. Intl. sales: Cinémathèque Suisse.
“La Voie Royale,” (Frédéric Mermoud, France, Switzerland)
Prod: Tabo Tabo Films. Co-prod: Bande à part Films. Intl. sales: Pyramide International. Swiss distributor: Frenetic Films.
“Smugglers,” (RYOO Seung-wan, South Korea)
Prod: Filmmakers R & K. Intl. sales: Contents Panda
“Non Sono Quello Che Sono – The Tragedy of Othello di W. Shakespeare,” (Edoardo Leo, Italy)
Prod: Groenlandia, Italian International Film, Vision Distribution. Intl. sales: Vision Distribution.
“Première Affaire,” (Victoria Musiedlak, France)
Prod: Ligne 2. Co-prod: France 2 Cinéma. Intl. sales: Be for Films. Swiss distributor: Frenetic Films.
“Shayda,” (Noora Niasari, Australia)
Prod: Origma 45, Dirty Films, The 51 Fund. Intl. sales: HanWay Films. Swiss distributor: Filmcoopi Zürich.
“The Old Oak,” (Ken Loach, U.K., France, Belgium)
Prod: Sixteen Films. Co-prod: Why Not Productions, Goodfellas, BFI – British Film
Institute. Intl. sales: Goodfellas. Swiss distributor: Filmcoopi Zürich.
“Theater Camp,” (Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, U.S.)
Prod: Picturestart, Topic Studios, Gloria Sanchez Productions. Intl. sales: The Walt Disney Company/Searchlight Pictures. Swiss distributor: The Walt Disney Company (Switzerland).
CONCORSO CINEASTI DEL PRESENTE
“Camping du Lac,” (Eléonore Saintagnan, Belgium, France)
Prod: Michigan Films. Co-prod: Ecce Films.
“Ein Schöner Ort,” (Katharina Huber, Germany)
Prod: Acker Film.
“Excursion,” (Una Gunjak, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway, Qatar)
Prod: SCCA/pro.ba. Co-prod: Nukleus Film, Baš Čelik, Mer Film.
“Family Portrait,” (Lucy Kerr, U.S.)
Prod: Insufficient Funds, NSF, Conjuring Productions. Intl. sales: Lights On.
“Dreaming & Dying,” (Nelson Yeo, Singapore, Indonesia)
Prod: Momo Film Co. Co-prod: Kawankawan Media, Widewall Pictures. Intl. sales: Lights On.
“La Morsure,” (Romain de Saint-Blanquat, France)
Prod: Easy Tiger. Intl. sales: Films Boutique.
“Negu Hurbilak,” (Colectivo Negu, Spain)
Prod: Cornelius Films, Maluta Films.
“On The Go,” (María Gisèle Royo, Julia de Castro, Spain)
Prod: Jur Jur Productions.
“Rapture,” (Dominic Sangma, India, China, Switzerland, Netherlands, Qatar)
Prod: Anna Films. Co-prod: Joicy Studio, Uncombed Buddha, Visions Sud Est, The Hubert Bals Fund of International Film. Festival Rotterdam, Doha Film Institute.
“Rivière,” (Hugues Hariche, Switzerland, France)
Prod: Beauvoir Films. Co-prod: Les Films d’Argile, Radio Télévision Suisse. Intl. sales: Outplay Films. Swiss distributor: Outside the Box.
“Todos los incendios,” (Mauricio Calderón Rico, Mexico)
Prod: Colectivo Colmena. Co-prod: Enfant & Poulet, Huasteca Casa Cinematográfica,
Martini Shot Films. Intl. sales: Antipode Sales International.
“Touched,” (Claudia Rorarius, Germany)
Prod: 2Pilots Filmproduction. Co-production: Soquiet Filmproduktion
“Und Dass Man Ohne Täuschung Zu Leben Vermag,” (Katharina Lüdin Germany, Switzerland)
Prod: Was bleibt Film. Co-prod: Katharina Lüdin Filmproduktion, Contrast Film.
“Whispers of Fire & Water,” (Lubdhak Chatterjee, India)
Prod: Little Lamb Films, Niv Art Movies. “West Production: Laurel Films, Yunzhi Pictures (Wuxi) Intl. sales: Parallax FilmsBorder) (Yan LUO, China).
All films are world premieres and all, except for “Rapture” and “Touched,” are first features.
OUT OF COMPETITION
“5 Hectares,” (Émilie Deleuze 27, France)
Prod: Ex Nihilo. Co-prod: Demons Productions. Intl. sales: Ex Nihilo.
“Best Secret Place,” (Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel, France)
Prod: La Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. Co-prod: 444 FILMS.
“Bonjour la Langue,” (Paul Vecchiali, France)
Prod: Dialectik.
“Conann,” (Bertrand Mandico, Luxembourg, France, Belgium)
Prod: Les Films Fauves. Co-prod: Ecce Films, Floréal, Novak Prod, Orphée Films. Intl. sales: Kinology.
“Lovano Supreme,” (Franco Maresco, Italy)
Prod: Qoomoon, Associazione Culturale Lumpen.
“Mademoiselle Kenopsia,” (Denis Côté, Canada)
Prod: Voyelles Films. Intl. sales: h264.
“Mimì – Il Principe Delle Tenebre,” (Brando De Sica, Italy)
Prod: Indiana Production, Bartleby Film.
“Nous les Barbares,” (Bertrand Mandico, Luxembourg, Belgium, France)
Prod: Floréal Films, Les Films Fauves. Co-prod: Orphée Films. Intl. sales: Kinology.
“Procida,” (Leonardo Di Costanzo, Italy)
Prod: Regione Campania, Film Commission Regione Campania. Co-prod: Procida Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2022, Parallelo 41 Produzioni.
“Ricardo et la Peinture,” (Barbet Schroeder, Switzerland, France)
Prod: Bande à part Films, Les Films du Losange. Co-prod: Radio Télévision Suisse, SRG SSR. Intl. sales: Les Films du Losange.
“Topakk,” (Richard V. Somes, Philippines, U.S.)
Prod: Fusee. Co-prod: Strawdogs Studio Production, Nathan Studios. Intl. sales: Raven Banner Entertainment.
“What Remains,” (Ran Huang, Hong Kong, U.K., Finland)
Prod: Fake Action Truth. Co-prod: Film Service Finland. Intl. sales: Minerva Pictures.
