Golden Leopard Of Locarno77 Took A Leap To Lithuania
The 77th edition of Locarno Film Festival ended with the triumph of Lithuanian filmmakers. The Grand Prize of the festival - Pardo d'Oro (Godeln Leopard) - was handed to Akiplėša (Toxic) by a young Lithuanian director Saulė Bliuvaitė. Meanwhile Pardo for Best Direction went to Laurynas Bareiša for Seses (Drowning Dry), and one of two Best Performance Awards was given to Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevičius for Seses (Drowning Dry).
Saulė Bliuvaitė's Akiplėša (Toxic) is an incisive portrayal of teenage girls and the crushing expectations imposed upon them. Dreaming of escape from the bleakness of their industrial hometown, two 13-year-olds, Marija and Kristina, form a unique bond at a local modeling school, where the promise of a better life pushes girls to violate their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.
As told by Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival: “The victory of newcomer Saulė Bliuvaitė, whose Akiplėša won the Pardo d’Oro and the Swatch First Feature Award, confirms the Locarno Film Festival's ability to identify the most innovative talents in the business.”
The second Best Performance Award went to Kim Minhee, star of Hong Sangsoo’s Suyoocheon (By The Stream). Kurdwin Ayub’s Mond won the Special Jury Prize.
The full list of winners:
Concorso Internazionale
Pardo d’Oro - Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno AKIPLĖŠA (TOXIC) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania
Special Jury Prize - Cities of Ascona and Losone MOND by Kurdwin Ayub, Austria
Pardo for Best Direction - City and Region of Locarno to Laurynas Bareiša for SESES (DROWNING DRY), Lithuania/Latvia
Pardo for Best Performance to Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, Paulius Markevičius for SESES (DROWNING DRY) by Laurynas Bareiša, Lithuania/Latvia
Pardo for 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
SALVE MARIA by Mar Coll, Spain
Concorso Cineasti del Presente
Pardo d’Oro - Concorso Cineasti del Presente HOLY ELECTRICITY by Tato Kotetishvili, Georgia/Netherlands
Best Emerging Director Award - City and Region of Locarno to Denise Fernandes for HANAMI, Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+ KOUTÉ VWA (LISTEN TO THE VOICES) by Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium/France/French Guiana
Pardo for Best Performance to Callie Hernandez for INVENTION by Courtney Stephens, USA
Pardo for 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 TELEFON (WHEN THE PHONE RANG) by Iva Radivojević, Serbia/USA
Pardi di Domani
Concorso Corti d’Autore
Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film UPSHOT by Maha Haj, Palestine/Italy/France
Special Mention GWE-IN ESI JEONGCHE (THE MASKED MONSTER) by Syeyoung Park, South Korea
Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate - European Film Awards LA FILLE QUI EXPLOSE by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel, France
Concorso Internazionale
Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film WASHHH 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 Best Direction Award - BONALUMI Engineering QUE TE VAYA BONITO, RICO by Joel Alfonso Vargas, United Kingdom/USA
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award THE FORM by Melika Pazouki, Iran
Special Mention
FREAK by Claire Barnett, USA
Concorso Nazionale
Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for the Best Swiss Short Film SANS VOIX by Samuel Patthey, Switzerland
Pardino d’Argento Swiss Life for the National Competition BETTER NOT KILL THE GROOVE by Jonathan Leggett, Switzerland
Best Swiss Newcomer Award to Gabriel Grosclaude for LUX CARNE, Switzerland
Special Mention PROGRESS MINING by Gabriel Böhmer, United Kingdom/Switzerland
First Feature
Swatch First Feature Award AKIPLĖŠA (TOXIC) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania
MUBI Award - Debut Feature 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
Pardo Verde
supported by the Ente Regionale per lo Sviluppo del Locarnese e Vallemaggia
Pardo Verde AGORA by Ala Eddine Slim, Tunisia/France/Saudi Arabia/Qatar
Special Mentions
DER FLECK by Willy Hans, Germany/Switzerland
REVOLVING ROUNDS by Johann Lurf and Christina Jauernik, Austria
The 78th Locarno Film Festival will take place from 6 to 16 August 2025.
Source: press release
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