15/08/2016 - LOCARNO 2016: The film by Ralitza Petrova has bewitched Locarno, snagging not only the Golden Leopard, but also the Leopard for Best Actress, for Irina Ivanova

Ralitza Petrova with her Golden Leopard for Godless (© Locarno Film Festival/Gabriele Putzu)

The winners’ list of the International Competition at this year’s Locarno Film Festival hinges entirely on European cinema. Next to the Bulgarian title Godless [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ralitza Petrova
film profile] (co-produced with Denmark and France) on the podium (Golden Leopard and Leopard for Best Actress, for Irina Ivanova) is the moving Scarred Hearts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile] by Romanian director Radu Jude, the hypnotic Portuguese film The Ornithologist [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: João Pedro Rodrigues
film profile] by João Pedro Rodrigues (Leopard for Best Director), the Italian-Austrian movie Mister Universo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], the existential road movie by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel (Special Mention), and Poland’s The Last Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
film profile] by Juan P Matuszynski (Leopard for Best Actor, for Andrzej Seweryn). The jury chaired by Mexican director Arturo Ripstein thus chose to give voice to personal stories with strong aesthetics, heralding a kind of decidedly modern-day uneasiness. 

Meanwhile, the Filmmakers of the Present competition awarded first place to the Argentinian film The Human Surge [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Eduardo Williams (Golden Leopard, Filmmakers of the Present). The title that towered above all others in the contingent of European movies was The Challenge [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], an insight into a dazzling paradise in the heart of the desert, by Italian director Yuri Ancarani, which took home the Ciné+ Special Jury Prize in Filmmakers of the Present. For her part, intriguing young French director Maud Alpi pocketed the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Award (which comprises a residency of between three and six months at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai) in the First Feature section, for her Still Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

Last of all, the audience in the majestic Piazza Grande opted to award I, Daniel Blake [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Ken Loach (UBS Audience Award), as well as giving it a lengthy round of applause after it was screened. Another film that had the privilege of being showcased on the huge screen of the Piazza Grande was Moka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Swiss director Frédéric Mermoud, which won the Variety Piazza Grande Award.

Here is the complete list of award winners:

International Competition

Golden Leopard
Godless [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ralitza Petrova
film profile] - Ralitza Petrova (Bulgaria/Denmark/France)

Special Jury Prize
Scarred Hearts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile] - Radu Jude (Romania/Germany)

Leopard for Best Director
João Pedro Rodrigues – The Ornithologist [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: João Pedro Rodrigues
film profile] (Portugal/France/Brazil)

Leopard for Best Actress
Irena Ivanova - Godless

Leopard for Best Actor
Andrzej Seweryn - The Last Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
film profile] (Poland)

Special Mention
Mister Universo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel (Austria/Italy)

Filmmakers of the Present Competition

Golden Leopard, Filmmakers of the Present – Nescens Award
The Human Surge [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Eduardo Williams (Argentina/Brazil/Portugal)

Ciné+ Special Jury Prize, Filmmakers of the Present
The Challenge [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Yuri Ancarani (Italy/France/Switzerland)

Prize for the Best Emerging Director
Mariko Tetsuya - Destruction Babies (Japan)

Special Mention
Viejo calavera - Kiro Russo (Bolivia/Qatar)

First Feature

Swatch First Feature Award
El futuro perfecto - Nele Wohlatz (Argentina)

Swatch Art Peace Hotel Award
Still Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Maud Alpi (France)

Special Mention
The Human Surge - Eduardo Williams

Leopards of Tomorrow – International Short Film Competition

Golden Pardino for Best International Short Film - SRG SSR Award
L’immense retour (Romance) - Manon Coubia (Belgium/France)

SRG SSR Silver Pardino for the International Competition
Cilaos - Camilo Restrepo (France)

Locarno Nomination for the European Film Awards – Pianifica Award
L’immense retour (Romance) - Manon Coubia

Film and Video Subtitling Award
Valparaiso - Carlo Sironi (Italy)

Special Mention
Non castus - Andrea Castillo (Chile) 

Leopards of Tomorrow – National Short Film Competition

Golden Pardino for Best Swiss Short Film – Swiss Life Award
Die Brücke über den Fluss - Jadwiga Kowalska (Switzerland)

Swiss Life Silver Pardino for the National Competition
Genesis - Lucien Monot (Switzerland)

Best Swiss Newcomer Award
La sève - Manon Goupil (Switzerland)

Piazza Grande

UBS Audience Award
I, Daniel Blake [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ken Loach (UK/France/Belgium)

Variety Piazza Grande Award
Moka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Frédéric Mermoud (France/Switzerland)

(Translated from Italian)