The 74th annual Locarno Festival was held from 4 August to 14 August 2021 in Locarno, Switzerland. The opening film of the festival was Beckett by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, which had its world premiere on 4 August. The 74th edition of Locarno Film Festival  hosted 14 films including 7 world premieres in Piazza Grande among which half were European productions. More than 75,000 spectators attended the festival. 50% less than the attendance rate in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Events

Rotonda by la Mobiliare - Come together! 
This event will be held from 30 July to 14 August. It is Locarno Film Festival’s communal space, which embraces existing audience and greets new people. It will have following platforms:
 Art
 Virtual Reality
 Forum
 Talks
 Music
 Food and beverage
 Kids town
 Come together

Locarno Talks la Mobiliare 
During the course of the film festival, it will be a stage for exchanging and debating ideas and perspectives. It will have encounters with people from the world of art, photography, cinema  music, politics and science.

Cinema and Youth

This is an initiative open to 28 final year students of high school or vocational school of Switzerland and Northern Italy, aged between 18 and 23. They will be privileged viewers as they may watch the screenings, meet directors and actors/actresses, attend specially organized introductory lectures on film language. In addition they will have access to the sidebar events.

Juries

International competition

 Eliza Hittman, American filmmaker (Jury President)
 Kevin Jerome Everson, American artist and filmmaker
 Philippe Lacôte, filmmaker from Ivory Coast
 Leonor Silveira, Portuguese actress
 Isabella Ferrari, Italian actress

Filmmakers of the present competition
 Agathe Bonitzer, French actress
 Mattie Do, Laotian American filmmaker
 Vanja Kaludjercic, festival director

Leopards of Tomorrow
 Kamal Aljafari, Palestinian filmmaker and artist
 Marie-Pierre Macia, French Producer
 Adina Pintilie (Romanian film director, screenwriter, visual artist and curator)

First Feature
 Amjad Abu Alala, Sudanese filmmaker
 Karina Ressler, Austrian editor
 Katharina Wyss, Switzerland filmmaker

Sections 
The following films were selected to receive screening in the sections below:

Pre-Festival
 LYNX by Laurent Geslin
 Tomorrow My Love by Gitanjali Rao

Piazza Grande

International competition (Concorso internazionale) 
Highlighted title indicates Golden Leopard winner

Filmmakers of the Present (Concorso Cineasti del presente)
Highlighted title indicates winner

Leopards of Tomorrow (Pardi di domani)

International competition (Concorso internazionale) 
Highlighted title indicates winner

National competition (Concorso nazionale)
Highlighted title indicates winner

Competition of Author's Courts (Concorso Corti d’autore)
Highlighted title indicates winner

Out of Competition (Fuori Concorso)

Open Doors Screenings

History (s) of cinema (Histoire(s) du cinéma)

Retrospective (Retrospettiva)

Locarno Kids

Swiss Panorama (Panorama Suisse)

International Critics' Week (Semaine de la critique)

Official Awards
The following awards were presented for films shown in competition:

International Competition

 Golden Leopard: Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Edwin

 Special Jury Prize: A New Old Play by Qui Jiongjiong

 Best Direction Award: Abel Ferrara for Zeros and Ones

 Best Actor Award: Mohamed Mellali, Valero Escolar for The Odd-Job Men

 Best Actress Award: Anastasiya Krasovskaya, Gerda by Natalya Kudryashova
Special Mentions:
Soul Of A Beast by Lorenz Merz
The Sacred Spirit by Chema García Ibarra

Filmmakers of the Present Competition
 Golden Leopard - Filmmakers of the Present: Brotherhood by Francesco Montagner
 Special Jury Prize: L’Été L’éternité by Émilie Aussel
 Best Emerging Director: Hleb Papou for Il Legionario
 Leopard for the Best Actress: Saskia Rosendahl for No One’s With the Calves
 Leopard for the Best Actor: Gia Agumava for Wet Sand

Leopards of Tomorrow

International Competition 
 Pardino d’oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film:
 Neon Phantom by Leonardo Martinelli
 Pardino d’argento SRG SSR for the International Competition:
 The Demons of Dorothy by Alexis Langlois
 Pardi di domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering:
 Eliane Esther Bots for In Flow of Words 
 Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award:
 Home for Myriam Uwiragiye Birara
Special Mentions:
First Time (The Time For All But Sunset – Violet) by Nicolaas Schmidt

National Competition 
 Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film:
 Strangers by Nora Longatti
 Pardino d’argento Swiss Life for the National Competition:
 After A Room by Naomi Pacifique
 Best Swiss Newcomer Award:
 Flavio Luca Marano, Jumana Issa for It Must

Competition of Author's Courts 

 Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Author Short Film:
 Creature by María Silvia Esteve

First Feature
 Swatch First Feature Award: 
 She Will by Charlotte Colbert
Special Mention: Holy Emy (Agia Emi) by Araceli Lemos

Special Awards

Leopard of Honour (Pardo d’onore Manor award)
 John Landis

Excellence Award Davide Campari 

 Laetitia Casta

Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards 
In Flow of Words

Special Lifetime Achievement Award 

 Dario Argento

Prix du public UBS Award 

 Hinterland by Stefan Ruzowitzky

Variety Piazza Grande Award 
Rose by Aurélie Saada

References

External links
 

Locarno
2021 festivals in Europe
2021 in Switzerland
Locarno Festival
Events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
August 2021 events in Switzerland