Locarno awards the Golden Leopard to Nine Lives
The 58th Locarno International Film Festival (3 -13 August), with a programme of 493 films, shorts and features (502 in 2004), welcomed 189,310 spectators (183,595 in 2004). While audience figures in the theatres registered a significant rise with 120,510 admissions (117,345 in 2004), the same cannot be said for the Piazza Grande: a rain-soaked edition in 2004 managed to attract 66,250 spectators under the stars, but this year only 68,800 came, despite exceptionally clement weather.
The final year under the artistic direction of Irene Bignardi awarded its highest distinction to Nine Lives by Rodrigo Garcìa (USA), winner of the Golden Leopard, plus the female acting prize for its ensemble cast and the first prize from the Youth Jury. The Special Jury Prize in the international competition went to Un couple parfait by Nobuhiro Suwa (France, Japan), which also received the international Confederation Prize for European arthouse and experimental films from the TV channel Arte. Fractricide by Yilmaz Arslan (Germany, France, Luxembourg) took the Silver Leopard as second best film and the third prize from the Youth Jury, while 3 Grad Kaelter by Florian Hoffmeister (Germany) and Ma Hameh Khoubim - We Are All Fine by Bizhan Mirbaqeri (Iran) shared the Silver Leopard for best first or second film. Best male actor was awarded to Patrick Drolet for La Neuvaine by Bernard Emond (Canada), a film which also won the Ecumenical Jury prize. And two films were honoured by the Jury of the Video Competition: Les Etats nordiques by Denis Côté (Canada) and Masahista by Brilliante Mendoza (Philippines).
A Perfect Day by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige (France, Lebanon, Germany) took the prize discerned by the federation of international cinema critics and the Don Quixote prize from the international federation of film-clubs. The Human Rights Award went to the Birds by eharu Watai (Japan, Iraq). The jury of the Critics’ week distinguished Gambit, a documentary by Sabine Gisiger (Switzerland). Three Swiss films were also compensated by the Filmmakers of Tomorrow Jury: Herr Goldstein by Micha Lewinsky (Pardino d’oro and Prix Cinema e gioventù), La limace by Anthony Vouardoux and Tania Zambrano-Ovalle as well as Frohe Ostern by Ulrich Schaffner.
(Translated from French)
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