The 78th edition of the film festival has begun in Locarno
Keystone-SDA
The 78th Locarno Film Festival began on Wednesday. At the opening, Swiss Culture Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider praised the courage of the festival organisers. Controversial works have always been shown at the renowned film festival on Lake Maggiore.
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This year, the documentary film With Hasan in Gaza, with images from 2001, takes a “unique look” at the region, said Baume-Schneider in the evening.
The festival will also address the topic of Iran with the screening of the first two episodes of the mini-series The Deal by Swiss filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Bron. The series is dedicated to the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Since its beginnings in the 1940s, the festival has constantly reinvented itself and has not hesitated to tackle controversial topics, Baume-Schneider continued.
During the Cold War, for example, the Locarno Film Festival paid particular attention to works from Eastern Europe. And in the 1970s, the film Berliner Bettwurst by Rosa von Praunheim, a pioneering film on LGBTIQ issues, was shown on Lake Maggiore.
Cinema as an ‘invitation to empathy’
The President of the Locarno Film Festival, Maja Hoffmann, emphasised the many qualities of watching films in the community. Cinema is not just entertainment, but “a miracle”, said Hoffmann. Cinema offers viewers time. Time to reflect and understand. That is indispensable. Cinema is an “invitation to empathy”, summarised the art collector and Roche heiress.
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Hoffmann also emphasised the uniqueness of the film festival on Lake Maggiore: “Locarno embrasse le courage de l’inconnu” – “Locarno embraces the courage of the unknown”. It is important to support independent filmmaking.
Nicola Pini, Mayor of Locarno, recalled the “solutions” that were found in the town on Lake Maggiore exactly one hundred years ago. “This is a special year for Locarno.” It was here that the Locarno Peace Conference in October 1925 gave rise to ideas for the balance of Europe, but also created new frustrations.
Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro made reference to current social trends. In today’s world, people are increasingly keeping to themselves. “But we can touch each other and our words can meet,” said Nazzaro. And this is exactly what cinema makes possible. “We must cultivate this moment,” he called out to the audience. Coming together at a film festival helps the art of film to live – and ultimately also democracy.
Kick-off on the Piazza leads to Armenia
The French-Armenian film Le Pays d’Arto by Tamara Stepanyan kicked off the Piazza Grande on Wednesday evening. The film focuses on a woman who discovers her deceased Armenian husband’s true identity on a journey through his homeland.
Over 220 films will be screened at the eleven-day film festival, including 28 Swiss productions. Among the 18 films running in the main competition are the Swiss film Le Lac by Neuchâtel director Fabrice Aragno and the Italian-Swiss-French production Le Bambine.
British actress Emma Thompson, Hong Kong-born actor and director Jackie Chan and American actor Willem Dafoe are among those expected to attend this year’s event, which is one of Europe’s most important film festivals.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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