74th Locarno Film Festival

The 74th annual Locarno Festival was held from 4 August to 14 August 2021 in Locarno, Switzerland. The opening film of the festival was Beckett by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, which had its world premiere on 4 August. The 74th edition of Locarno Film Festival hosted 14 films including 7 world premieres in Piazza Grande among which half were European productions. More than 75,000 spectators attended the festival. 50% less than the attendance rate in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rotonda by la Mobiliare - Come together!
This event will be held from 30 July to 14 August. It is Locarno Film Festival’s communal space, which embraces existing audience and greets new people. It will have following platforms:
 * Art
 * Virtual Reality
 * Forum
 * Talks
 * Music
 * Food and beverage
 * Kids town
 * Come together

Locarno Talks la Mobiliare
During the course of the film festival, it will be a stage for exchanging and debating ideas and perspectives. It will have encounters with people from the world of art, photography, cinema music, politics and science.

Cinema and Youth
This is an initiative open to 28 final year students of high school or vocational school of Switzerland and Northern Italy, aged between 18 and 23. They will be privileged viewers as they may watch the screenings, meet directors and actors/actresses, attend specially organized introductory lectures on film language. In addition they will have access to the sidebar events.

International competition

 * Eliza Hittman, American filmmaker (Jury President)
 * Kevin Jerome Everson, American artist and filmmaker
 * Philippe Lacôte, filmmaker from Ivory Coast
 * Leonor Silveira, Portuguese actress
 * Isabella Ferrari, Italian actress

Filmmakers of the present competition

 * Agathe Bonitzer, French actress
 * Mattie Do, Laotian American filmmaker
 * Vanja Kaludjercic, festival director

Leopards of Tomorrow

 * Kamal Aljafari, Palestinian filmmaker and artist
 * Marie-Pierre Macia, French Producer
 * Adina Pintilie (Romanian film director, screenwriter, visual artist and curator)

First Feature

 * Amjad Abu Alala, Sudanese filmmaker
 * Karina Ressler, Austrian editor
 * Katharina Wyss, Switzerland filmmaker

Sections
The following films were selected to receive screening in the sections below:

Pre-Festival

 * LYNX by Laurent Geslin
 * Tomorrow My Love by Gitanjali Rao

International competition (Concorso internazionale)

 * Highlighted title indicates Golden Leopard winner

Filmmakers of the Present (Concorso Cineasti del presente)
Highlighted title indicates winner

International competition (Concorso internazionale)
Highlighted title indicates winner

National competition (Concorso nazionale)
Highlighted title indicates winner

Competition of Author's Courts (Concorso Corti d’autore)
Highlighted title indicates winner

Official Awards
The following awards were presented for films shown in competition:

International Competition

 * Golden Leopard: Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Edwin


 * Special Jury Prize: A New Old Play by Qui Jiongjiong


 * Best Direction Award: Abel Ferrara for Zeros and Ones


 * Best Actor Award: Mohamed Mellali, Valero Escolar for The Odd-Job Men


 * Best Actress Award: Anastasiya Krasovskaya, Gerda by Natalya Kudryashova
 * Special Mentions:
 * Soul Of A Beast by Lorenz Merz
 * The Sacred Spirit by Chema García Ibarra

Filmmakers of the Present Competition

 * Golden Leopard - Filmmakers of the Present: Brotherhood by Francesco Montagner
 * Special Jury Prize: L’Été L’éternité by Émilie Aussel
 * Best Emerging Director: Hleb Papou for Il Legionario
 * Leopard for the Best Actress: Saskia Rosendahl for No One’s With the Calves
 * Leopard for the Best Actor: Gia Agumava for Wet Sand

International Competition

 * Pardino d’oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film:
 * Neon Phantom by Leonardo Martinelli
 * Pardino d’argento SRG SSR for the International Competition:
 * The Demons of Dorothy by Alexis Langlois
 * Pardi di domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering:
 * Eliane Esther Bots for In Flow of Words
 * Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award:
 * Home for Myriam Uwiragiye Birara
 * Special Mentions:
 * First Time (The Time For All But Sunset – Violet) by Nicolaas Schmidt

National Competition

 * Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film:
 * Strangers by Nora Longatti
 * Pardino d’argento Swiss Life for the National Competition:
 * After A Room by Naomi Pacifique
 * Best Swiss Newcomer Award:
 * Flavio Luca Marano, Jumana Issa for It Must

Competition of Author's Courts

 * Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Author Short Film:
 * Creature by María Silvia Esteve

First Feature

 * Swatch First Feature Award:
 * She Will by Charlotte Colbert
 * Special Mention: Holy Emy (Agia Emi) by Araceli Lemos

Leopard of Honour (Pardo d’onore Manor award)

 * John Landis

Excellence Award Davide Campari

 * Laetitia Casta

Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards

 * In Flow of Words

Special Lifetime Achievement Award

 * Dario Argento

Prix du public UBS Award

 * Hinterland by Stefan Ruzowitzky

Variety Piazza Grande Award

 * Rose by Aurélie Saada