- The opening of the 77th Locarno International Film Festival
The 77th International Film Festival Locarno kicked off in the evening with the premiere of the French historical drama "Le Déluge" ("The Flood"). Thousands of spectators gathered for the open-air gala on the Piazza Grande of Locarno. Until August 17, the festival will showcase 225 feature, documentary, short, and experimental films. Among them are 17 films from around the world competing for the Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, in the international competition ("Concorso internazionale").
Five of the films in the "Concorso internazionale" were made with significant German involvement: the feature films "Der Tod wird kommen" by German director Christoph Hochhäusler, "Transamazonia" by German director Pia Marais, "Yeni Safak Solarken" ("As the new dawn fades") by Turkish director Gürcan Keltek, the high-profile chamber piece "Der Spatz im Kamin" by Swiss director Ramon Zürcher, featuring German stars Maren Eggert and Luise Heyer, and the documentary "Bogancloch" by British filmmaker Ben Rivers.
In the young talent competition "Cineasti del presente" ("Filmmakers of the Present") with 15 films, German director Willy Hans is represented with his feature film debut "Der Fleck". The youth drama, set in Switzerland, was co-financed by Swiss and German producers. The festival's awards will be presented at an open-air gala on the evening of August 17.
The German director Ramon Zürcher, hailing from Switzerland, presents the high-profile chamber piece "Der Spatz im Kamin" in the international competition. The young talent competition features a German director, Willy Hans, with his feature film debut "Der Fleck," co-financed by Swiss and German producers.
