Locarno, Switzerland – The 77th Locarno Film Festival culminated in a spectacular celebration of cinematic talent, with Lithuanian director Saulė Bliuvaitė’s feature debut “Akiplėša” (“Toxic”) clinching the prestigious Golden Leopard Award. The film, which delves into the unsettling realities of model agencies and teenage aspirations, stood out among its competitors at this international gathering.
“Akiplėša” wasn’t the only Lithuanian film to gain critical acclaim at the festival. Laurynas Bareiša received the Best Director award for his work on “Seses” (“Drowning Dry”), a poignant narrative about two sisters grappling with a life-altering family loss. This film also saw its cast—Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevičius—take home one of the festival’s awards for best performance.
The festival’s international jury was chaired by Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner, an influential figure in contemporary cinema. The panel also included notable personalities like American actor and director Tim Blake Nelson and Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia.
In other highlights, the Special Jury Prize was awarded to “Mond” (“Moon”), a film by Kurdwin Ayub. The Austria-based director’s second fiction feature follows a former martial artist’s journey from Austria to Jordan to train three sisters from a prosperous family, exploring themes of freedom and confinement.
Additionally, the festival spotlighted emerging talent through its “Concorso Cineasti del Presente” program aimed at first and second features. The Golden Leopard in this category was presented to Tato Kotetishvili for “Holy Electricity,” while performance awards went to Callie Hernandez in Courtney Stephens’ “Invention” and Anna Mészöly in Bálint Szimler’s “Fekete Pont” (“Lesson Learned”).
The festival also awarded two debut features, reaffirming its commitment to new voices in cinema. “Toxic” won the Swatch First Feature Award, and Sylvie Ballyot’s “Green Line” took home the MUBI Award for Debut Feature.
Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro remarked on the festival’s unique ability to spotlight innovative talent, particularly noting the strong representation of female directors this year. He praised Locarno as a beacon of creativity and hope in the film industry.
The festival, which featured a total of 225 films and more than 300 screenings, also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures with a retrospective titled “The Lady with the Torch.” Among the attendees were international cinema heavyweights like Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan and New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion, highlighting the global appeal and influence of the Locarno Film Festival.
The week-long cinematic celebration concluded with public awards and the screening of Laetitia Dosch’s “Dog on Trial” (“Le Procès du chien”) in Locarno’s scenic Piazza Grande, bringing down the curtain on a festival marked by memorable performances and groundbreaking films.