Locarno 2020 Film Festival
 Festival official poster | |
| Opening film | First Cow by Kelly Reichardt |
|---|---|
| Closing film | La France contre les Robots, by Jean-Marie Straub |
| Location |
|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Awards | |
| Hosted by | Associazione Festival del film Locarno |
| No. of films | Programmed: 121 Online Screenings: 83 Theatrical Screenings: 103 |
| Festival date | Opening: 5 August 2020 Closing: 15 August 2020 |
| Website | Locarno Film Festival |
The Locarno 2020 – For the Future of Films was held in place of the 73rd Locarno Film Festival from 5 to 15 August 2020 in Locarno, Switzerland and online.[1] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 73rd festival was canceled and in its place was a hybrid of in-person and virtual screenings.[2][3][4][5] No traditional Golden Leopard was awarded.[6][4]
The 2020 festival screened 20 unfinished projects that were suspended due to the pandemic and awarded money to the winners: $73,000 (CHF 70,000) for each Pardo 2020 winner.[1][7][8][4] Other festival awards also distributed money and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation awarded $124,000 (CHF 100,000) worth of advertising on its channels to the SRG SSR Award winners.[7] The opening film of the festival was First Cow by Kelly Reichardt.[2]
Juries
International competition - The Films After Tomorrow
- Kelly Reichardt, American director
- Nadav Lapid, Israeli writer and director
- Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Lesothian screenwriter, director and cinematographer
Swiss selection jury
- Alina Marazzi, Italian and Swiss director
- Matías Piñeiro, Argentinian director, writer and artist
- Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian director, producer, editor, screenwriter and activist
Leopards of Tomorrow
- Kiri Dalena, Philippine filmmaker and visual artist
- Mamadou Dia, Senegalese filmmaker
- Claudette Godfrey, American Senior Film Programmer of SXSW
Sections
The following films were selected to receive screening in the sections below:[2][8][3][9][10]
The films after tomorrow
International selection
This section screened unfinished projects that were suspended due to the pandemic.[1][7][8][4]
Highlighted title indicates winner
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| ''Chocobar'' | Lucrecia Martel | Argentina, United States, Denmark, Mexico | |
| Cidade; Campo | Juliana Rojas | Brazil | |
| The Fabric of the Human Body | De Humani Corporis Fabrica | Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor | France, United States |
| Eureka | Lisandro Alonso | France/Germany/Portugal/Mexico/Argentina | |
| Human Flowers of Flesh | Helena Wittmann | Germany/France | |
| I Come from Ikotun | Wang Bing | France/China | |
| When the Waves Are Gone | Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon | Lav Diaz | Philippines/France/Portugal/Denmark |
| Nowhere Near | Miko Revereza | Philippines/Mexico/USA | |
| Little Solange | Petite Solange | Axelle Ropert | France |
| Savagery | Selvajaria | Miguel Gomes | Portugal/France/Brazil/China/Greece |
Swiss selection
Highlighted title indicates winner
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azor | Andreas Fontana | Switzerland/Argentina/France | |
| A Piece of Sky | Ein Stück Himmel | Michael Koch | Switzerland/Germany |
| Far West | Pierre-François Sauter | Switzerland/Portugal/Italy | |
| A Flower in the Mouth | Eric Baudelaire | Switzerland/France | |
| L'Afrique des Femmes | Mohammed Soudani | Switzerland/Ivory Coast | |
| Les Histoires d'Amour de Liv S. | Anna Luif | Switzerland | |
| Lux | Raphaël Dubach, Mateo Ybarra | Switzerland | |
| Olga | Elie Grappe | Switzerland/France | |
| Unrest | Unrueh | Cyril Schäublin | Switzerland |
| Zahorí | Marí Alessandrini | Switzerland/Argentina/Chile/France | |
A journey in the festival's history
This section was selected by directors whose films were featured in "The Films After Tomorrow" section of the Festival.[3][9]
| Title | Director(s) | Year | Locarno Festival | Prize | Production Country | Picked by | Screening |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, Year Zero | Roberto Rossellini | 1948 | 3rd Festival | Grand Prix, Prize for Best Original Screenplay (ex æquo), Best Director (Second Prize) | Italy, France, Germany | Pierre-François Sauter | Online and physical screening |
| Love Meetings | Pier Paolo Pasolini | 1964 | 17th Festival | Italy | Anna Luif | Online screening | |
| Entranced Earth | Glauber Rocha | 1967 | 20th Festival | Youth Jury Grand Prix, FIPRESCI International Critics' Prize, Swiss Critics' Prize | Brazil | Lisandro Alonso | Online and physical screening |
| Charles, Dead or Alive | Alain Tanner | 1969 | 22nd Festival | Pardo d'oro, Youth Jury Prize | Switzerland | Raphaël Dubach, Mateo Ybarra | Online and physical screening |
| Invasión | Hugo Santiago | 1969 | 22nd Festival | International Jury Special Mention | Argentina | Andreas Fontana | Online and physical screening |
| In Danger and Deep Distress, the Middleway Spells Certain Death | Alexander Kluge, Edgar Reitz | 1974 | 27th Festival | Federal Republic of Germany | Juliana Rojas | Online screening | |
| India Song | Marguerite Duras | 1975 | 28th Festival | France | Helena Wittmann | Online screening | |
| Perfumed Nightmare | Kidlat Tahimik | 1977 | 30th Festival | Philippines | Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor | Online screening | |
| E Nachtlang Füürland | Clemens Klopfenstein, Remo Legnazzi | 1981 | 34th Festival | Switzerland | Michael Koch | Online and physical screening | |
| Stranger Than Paradise | Jim Jarmusch | 1984 | 37th Festival | Grand Prix Pardo d'oro, Grand Prix of the City of Locarno, Ecumenical and Youth Jury Special Mentions | USA, Federal Republic of Germany | Marí Alessandrini | Online and physical screening |
| The Terrorizers | Edward Yang | 1986 | 40th Festival | Special Jury Grand Prix, Pardo d'argento, Second Prize of the City of Locarno | Taiwan | Eric Baudelaire | Online screening |
| O Bobo | José Álvaro Morais | 1987 | 40th Festival | Grand Prix Pardo d'oro, Grand Prix of the City of Locarno and CICAE Jury Prize | Portugal | Miguel Gomes | Online screening |
| The Seventh Continent | Michael Haneke | 1989 | 42nd Festival | Pardo di bronzo, Ernest Artaria Prize, Fourth Prize of the City of Locarno | Austria | Lav Diaz | Online and physical screening |
| Metropolitan | Whit Stillman | 1990 | 43rd Festival | Pardo d'argento, Special Jury Grand Prix and Second Prize of the City of Locarno | USA | Axelle Ropert | Online and physical screening |
| Rapado | Martín Rejtman | 1992 | 45th Festival | Argentina, Netherlands | Lucrecia Martel | Online screening | |
| Au Nom du Christ | Roger Gnoan M'Bala | 1993 | 46th Festival | Youth Jury "Environment is Quality of Life Prize" | Ivory Coast, Switzerland | Mohammed Soudani | Online and physical screening |
| A Moment of Innocence | Mohsen Makhmalbaf | 1996 | 49th Festival | Youth Jury Second Prize "Nouveau Cinéma" and Official's Jury Special Mention | Iran, France | Miko Revereza | Online screening |
| Horse Money | Pedro Costa | 2014 | 67th Festival | Pardo for Best Director | Portugal | Wang Bing | Online screening |
| No Home Movie | Chantal Akerman | 2015 | 68th Festival | Belgium, France | Cyril Schäublin | Online screening | |
| M | Yolande Zauberman | 2018 | 71st Festival | Special Jury Prize and Youth Jury "Environment is Quality of Life" Prize | France | Elie Grappe | Online and physical screening |
Leopards of Tomorrow (Pardi di domani)
International competition (Concorso internazionale)
Highlighted title indicates winner
| English title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Hamza Bangash | Pakistan | |
| An Act of Affection | Viet Vu | Portugal/Vietnam | |
| Red Aninsri; or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall | Aninsri Daeng | Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke | Thailand |
| Bethlehem 2001 | Ibrahim Handal | Palestine | |
| Digital Funeral: Beta Version | Sorayos Prapapan | Thailand | |
| Aboring Film | Ekti Ekgheye Film | Mahde Hasan | Bangladesh |
| Fish Bowl | Ngabo Emmanuel | Rwanda | |
| The Unseen River | Giòng Sông Không Nhìn Thấy | Phạm Ngọc Lân | Vietnam/Laos |
| Gramercy | Pat Heywood, Jamil McGinnis | USA | |
| Here, Here | Joanne Cesario | Philippines | |
| History of Civilization | Zhannat Alshanova | Kazakhstan | |
| I Ran from It and Was Still in It | Darol Olu Kae | USA | |
| Icemeltland Park | Liliana Colombo | Italy/United Kingdom | |
| How I Beat Glue and Bronze | Kako Sam Pobedio Lepak i Bronzu | Vladimir Vulević | Serbia/Germany |
| Life on the Horn | Mo Harawe | Somalia/Austria/Germany | |
| Memby | Rafael Castanheira Parrode | Brazil | |
| Noor | Nour | Rim Nakhli | Tunisia |
| O Black Hole! | Renee Zhan | United Kingdom | |
| Pacífico Oscuro | Camila Beltrán | France/Colombia | |
| Land Lot S7 | Parcelles S7 | Abtin Sarabi | Senegal/Iran/France |
| Play Schengen | Gunhild Enger | Norway | |
| Return to Toyama | Retour à Toyama | Atsushi Hirai | France/Japan |
| Spotted Yellow | Zarde Khaldar | Baran Sarmad | Iran |
| The Parallel State | Statul Paralel | Octav Chelaru | Romania |
| Break | Szünet | Levente Kölcsey | Hungary |
| Cloud of the Unknown | Tacong An Chu Lai | Gao Yuan | China |
| The Chicken | Neo Sora | USA | |
| The End of Suffering (A Proposal) | The End of Suffering | Jacqueline Lentzou | Greece |
| A Trip to Heaven | Thiên Đường Gọi Tên | Linh Duong | Vietnam/Singapore |
| Thoughts on the Purpose of Friendship | Charlie Hillhouse | Australia | |
| Where to Land | Sawandi Groskind | Finland | |
National competition (Concorso nazionale)
Highlighted title indicates winner
| English title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugs | David Shongo | Democratic Republic of the Congo/Switzerland | |
| Ecorce (Peel) | Ecorce | Samuel Patthey, Silvain Monney | Switzerland |
| Spirits and Rocks: An Azorean Myth | Espíritos e Rochas | Aylin Gökmen | Switzerland/Portugal/Belgium/Hungary |
| Burnt. Land of Fire | Grigio. Terra Bruciata | Ben Donateo | Switzerland/Italy |
| Salmon Men | Lachsmänner | Veronica L. Mona Montaño, Manuela Leuenberger, Joel Hofmann | Switzerland |
| Megamall | Aline Schoch | Switzerland | |
| People on Saturday | Menschen am Samstag | Jonas Ulrich | Switzerland |
| Nha Mila | Denise Fernandes | Portugal/Switzerland | |
| Push This Button If You Begin to Panic | Gabriel Böhmer | United Kingdom/Switzerland | |
| The De Facto Martyr Suite | Justine de Gasquet | Switzerland | |
| Trou Noir (Black Hole) | Trou Noir | Tristan Aymon | Switzerland |
| Um Tordo Batendo Asas Contra o Vento (A Thrush Flapping Its Wings Against the Wind) | Um Tordo Batendo Asas Contra o Vento | Alexandre Haldemann | Switzerland |
Open Doors Screenings - Features
| English title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apparition | Aparisyon | Isabel Sandoval | Philippines/USA |
| Atambua 39 °Celsius | Riri Riza | Indonesia | |
| Clash | Engkwentro | Pepe Diokno | Philippines |
| Memories of My Body | Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku | Garin Nugroho | Indonesia |
| Sell Out! | Yeo Joon Han | Malaysia | |
| Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay | Antoinette Jadaone | Philippines | |
| Songlap | Effendee Mazlan, Fariza Azlina Isahak | Malaysia | |
| Tender Are the Feet | Maung Wunna | Myanmar | |
| The Masseur | Masahista | Brillante Mendoza | Philippines |
| What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love | Mouly Surya | Indonesia | |
Open Doors Screenings - Shorts
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Gift | Kado | Aditya Ahmad | Indonesia |
| Babylon | Keith Deligero | Philippines | |
| High Way | Chia Chee Sum | Malaysia | |
| Liar Land | Ananth Subramaniam | Malaysia | |
| Listen | Min Min Hein | Myanmar/USA/Japan | |
| Man of Pa-aling | Manong ng Pa-aling | E del Mundo | Philippines/USA |
| No One Is Crazy in This Town | Tak Ada Yang Gila di Kota Ini | Wregas Bhanuteja | Indonesia |
| On Friday Noon | Luhki Herwanayogi | Indonesia | |
| The Ruby | Ling Low | Malaysia | |
| Void | Mg Bhone | Myanmar | |
Official Awards
The following awards were presented for films shown in competition:[10][11]
The Films After Tomorrow
International Selection
- Pardo 2020 for the Best International Project: Chocobar by Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/USA/Denmark/Mexico
- Campari Award Special Jury Prize: SELVAJARIA (Savagery) by Miguel Gomes, Portugal/France/Brazil/China/Greece
- Swatch Award for the Most Innovative Project: DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA (The Fabric of the Human Body) by Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Swiss Selection
- Pardo 2020 for the Best Swiss Project: ZAHORÍ by Marí Alessandrini, Switzerland/Argentina/Chile/France
- SRG SSR Award: LUX by Raphaël Dubach and Mateo Ybarra, Switzerland
Pardi di Domani
International Competition
- Pardino d'oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film: I RAN FROM IT AND WAS STILL IN IT by Darol Olu Kae, USA
- Pardino d'argento SRG SSR for an International Short Film: HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION by Zhannat Alshanova, Kazakhstan
- Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Prize: THIÊN ĐƯỜNG GỌI TÊN (A Trip to Heaven) by Linh Duong, Vietnam/Singapore
- Special Mention: LIFE ON THE HORN by Mo Harawe, Somalia/Austria/Germany
Swiss Competition
- Pardino d'oro Swiss Life for the Best Swiss Short Film: MENSCHEN AM SAMSTAG (People on Saturday) by Jonas Ulrich, Switzerland (Locarno Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards)
- Pardino d'argento Swiss Life for a Swiss Short Film: TROU NOIR (Black Hole) by Tristan Aymon, Switzerland
- Best Swiss Newcomer Prize: LACHSMÄNNER (Salmon Men) by Veronica L. Montaño, Manuela Leuenberger, Joel Hofmann, Switzerland
Cinema&Gioventù Jury
The Films After Tomorrow
- Prize for Best International Project: CIDADE; CAMPO by Juliana Rojas, Brazil
- Prize for Best Swiss Project: AZOR by Andreas Fontana, Switzerland/France/Argentina
- "Environment is Quality of Life" Prize: EUREKA by Lisandro Alonso, France/Portugal/Germany/Mexico/Argentina
Pardi di Domani Prize
- Best International Short Film: ANINSRI DAENG (Red Aninsri; or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall) by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Thailand
- Best Swiss Short Film: TROU NOIR (Black Hole) by Tristan Aymon, Switzerland
Open Doors Screenings
Short Films - Open Doors Screenings
- Prize for Best Short Film: KADO (A Gift) by Aditya Ahmad, Indonesia
- Special Mention: LIAR LAND by Ananth Subramaniam, Malaysia
Long Films- Open Doors Screenings
- "Environment is Quality of Life" Prize for Best Full-Length Feature: SELL OUT! by Yeo Joon Han, Malaysia
- Special Mention: ENGKWENTRO (Clash) by Pepe Diokno, Philippines
References
- ^ a b c "Locarno Film Festival · 73rd Locarno Film Festival: early news on this..." Locarno Film Festival. Archived from the original on 11 October 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "Locarno Film Festival · Locarno 2020 announces the jury line-up for..." Locarno Film Festival. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b c Goodfellow, Melanie (20 July 2020). "Locarno unveils filmmaker selections for classic titles sidebar". Screen Daily. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d Roxborough, Scott (29 April 2020). "Locarno Festival Cancels 2020 Edition, Launches Online Alternative". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (3 August 2020). "Locarno Film Festival Puts on Digital Showcase". Variety. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ Lang, Jamie; Hopewell, John (10 August 2020). "10 Short Films Not to Miss at Locarno Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "Lucrecia Martel, Lav Diaz films selected for Locarno's Covid-19-era initiative | News | Screen". 3 December 2024. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "Locarno 2020 PressKit" (PDF). www.locarnofestival.ch. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Final line-up of 43 short films for Pardi di domani is announced". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b Hopewell, John (14 August 2020). "Lucrecia Martel, Mari Alessandrini, Miguel Gomes Win at Locarno Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ "Locarno 2020 – For the Future of Films: award winners at the special edition". Locarno Festival. Retrieved 3 April 2025.