Lithuanian drama “Toxic” wins main prize

Lithuanian filmmaker Saulė Bliuvaitė has won the Golden Leopard in the international main competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival with her debut film. Poisonous.

The film, directed by Bliuvaitė from a screenplay she also wrote herself, is about 13-year-olds Marija and Kristina who form a unique bond at a local modeling school, where the prospect of a better life drives the girls to abuse their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.

The picture was one of the titles that caused a stir at Locarno and was also selected as the first favourite in the official competition during our pre-festival interview with Locarno CEO Giona A. Nazzaro.

“The victory of newcomer Saulė Bliuvaitė, whose Poisonous “Winning the Pardo d'Oro and the Swatch First Feature Award confirms the Locarno Film Festival's ability to identify the most innovative talent in the industry,” Nazzaro said this afternoon.

Elsewhere: Kurdwin Ayubs moon won the Special Jury Prize, while the Pardo for Best Director went to Laurynas Bareiša for Seses (Dry drowning). The two Best Performance Awards went to Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela and Paulius Markevičius Seses (drying out) and to Kim Minhee, star of Hong Sangsoo's At the streamThe first MUBI Prize went to Green Line by Sylvie Ballyot.

This year's competition jury was chaired by Jessica Hausner and consisted of Diana Elbaum, Payal Kapadia, Luca Marinelli and Tim Blake Nelson. The festival opened with The Flood by Gianluca Jodice. Tonight the festival ends with the performance of The dog’s trial by Laetitia Dosch. The full list of winners can be found below.

International Competition

Pardo d'Oro – main prize of the festival and the city of Locarno
AKIPLĖŠA (POISONOUS) from Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania

Special Jury Prize – Cities of Ascona and Losone
MOON by Kurdwin Ayub, Austria

Pardo for the best leadership – City and Region of Locarno
To Laurynas Bareisa for SESES (DRY DROWNING)Lithuania/Latvia

Pardo for the best performance
To Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, Paulius Markevičius for SESES (DRY DROWNING) by Laurynas Bareiša, Lithuania/Latvia

Pardo for the best performance
To Kim Minhee for SUYOOCHEON (BY THE STREAM) by Hong Sangsoo, South Korea

Special mentions
QING CHUN (KU) (YOUTH (HARD TIMES)) by WANG Bing, France/Luxembourg/Netherlands
HAIL MARY from Mar Coll, Spain

Concorso Cineasti del Presente

Gold Medal – Concorso Cineasti del Presente
HOLY ELECTRICITY by Tato Kotetishvili, Georgia/Netherlands

Award for the best young director – City and Region of Locarno
To Denise Fernandes for HANAMISwitzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde

Special Jury Prize CINÉ+
KOUTÉ VWA (LISTEN TO THE VOICES) by Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium/France/French Guiana

Pardo for the best performance
To Callie Hernandez for INVENTION by Courtney Stephens, USA

Pardo for the best performance
To Anna Mészöly for FEKETE PONT (LESSON LEARNED) by Bálint Szimler, Hungary

Special mentions
FEKETE PONT (LESSON LEARNED) by Bálint Szimler, Hungary
KADA JE ZAZVONIO TELEPHONE (WHEN THE PHONE RINGED) by Iva Radivojević, Serbia/USA

Pardi di Domani

Car Races Competition

Pardino d'Oro Swiss Life for the best author short film
RESULT by Maha Haj, Palestine/Italy/France

Special mention
GWE-IN ESI JEONGCHE (THE MASK MONSTER) by Syeyoung Park, South Korea

Short film candidate at the Locarno Film Festival – European Film Awards
The girl who explodes by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel, France

International Competition

Pardino d'Oro SRG SSR for the best international short film
WASH by Mickey Lai, Malaysia/Ireland

Pardino d'Argento SRG SSR for the International Competition
GIMN CHUME (HYMN OF THE PLAGUE) by Ataka51, Germany/Russia

Pardi di Domani Award for Best Director – BONALUMI Engineering
WHAT YOU ARE, BEAUTIFUL, RICO by Joel Alfonso Vargas, United Kingdom/USA

Award from Medien Patent Verwaltung AG
The shape by Melika Pazouki, Iran

Special mention
FREAK by Claire Barnett, USA

National Competition

Pardino d'Oro Swiss Life for the best Swiss short film
VOICELESS by Samuel Patthey, Switzerland

Silver medal Swiss Life for the National Competition
Better not kill the groove by Jonathan Leggett, Switzerland

Award for the best Swiss newcomer
To Gabriel Grosclaude for LUX MEATSwitzerland

Special mention
PROGRESS MINE by Gabriel Böhmer, United Kingdom/Switzerland

First feature

Swatch debut
AKIPLĖŠA (POISONOUS) from Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania

MUBI Award – Debut Film
GREEN LINE by Sylvie Ballyot, France/Lebanon/Qatar

Special mentions
HANAMI by Denise Fernandes, Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde
KOUTÉ VWA (LISTEN TO THE VOICES) by Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium/France/French Guiana

Green Pardo
Supported by the Ente Regionale per lo Sviluppo del Locarnese e Vallemaggia

Green Pardo
AGORA by Ala Eddine Slim, Tunisia/France/Saudi Arabia/Qatar

Special mentions
THE STAIN by Willy Hans, Germany/Switzerland
ROUNDS by Johann Lurf and Christina Jauernik, Austria