Conclusion of the 70th edition of the Locarno Festival
The 2017 edition, the fifth under Carlo Chatrian as artistic director, has ended successfully and has been crowned by the Pardo d’oro for the film MRS. FANG directed by WANG Bing.
261 films in 11 days, 16 under the open sky in the Piazza Grande and 18 in the Concorso internazionale. Among great guests attending this year feature unforgettable greetings to the Piazza by Todd Haynes and by Jean–Marie Straub, the toast by Mathieu Kassovitz, Michel Merkt’s roar and a touched Adrien Brody. José Luis Alcaine, Nastassja Kinski, Aleksander Sokurov have also appeared along with them on stage for the section dedicated to Locarno70 and the Premio Cinema Ticino awarded to Esmé Sciaroni.
Tributes to great artists who have passed on, such as Jeanne Moreau, Hans Hurch and George Romero, have not been forgotten.In the context of this evening’s Award ceremony on the Piazza Grande, it was announced that the Prix Public UBS is awarded to THE BIG SICK, by Michael Showalter.
Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director: ”Locarno70 is about to end, and the first provisional assessment is positive. The magical moments that characterized the evenings on the Piazza Grande have been many, just like the guests who offered the public precious moments, or the films that occasioned a full house, or the proposals which aroused interest in the press and professionals. Locarno has confirmed itself as a hub for discerning what direction the currents of independent cinema are taking, but also as a meeting venue between those who create cinema and those who enjoy it, between those who come from very far away and those who on the other hand represent a territory. Seeing the queues outside the new PalaCinema, or the GranRex cinema packed in every one of its rows for a retrospective which has hit its target, fills us with joy and makes us look towards the future with optimism.”
Mario Timbal, Chief Operating Officer: “According to our intentions, this edition wished to be both a celebration for the seventieth anniversary and a springboard for the next years of the Festival at the same time. The rising attendance and the many positive feedbacks we received clearly indicate that our targets have been met. The new screening rooms have consolidated the basic infrastructure of the event, and the meeting areas and many collateral events have demonstrated a great potential which can be developed further over the coming years, allowing the Festival to look confidently towards the future.”
The evening on the Piazza Grande will end with the official awards and the screening of the closing film GOTTHARD – ONE LIFE, ONE SOUL by Kevin Merz.
The 71st Locarno Festival will take place from 1 to 11 August 2018.