Locarno Diary #2: Lost men and religiosity

by Elisa Giudici

Heavens Above, a new Serbian film

Locarno has been in, let's say a strange transition period. I first started going when Carlo Chatrian was the Artistic Director (back in 2012). He left for the same position at Berlinale and his successer Lili Hinstin wasn't there long -- under two years which generated a lot of gossip. Giona A Nazzaro is the new director but because of COVID-19 this is his first edition. Maybe I was just lucky or my tastes align more with Nazzaro's than previous directors but this festival started with more energy and verve. (Until now my perception of Locarno was that it held a small number of amazing discoveries diluted in a pull of dull old fashioned auteurial selections.)

I choose today's two movies following my gut instinct and I especially liked how the films were having almost having a dialogue between themselves, despite major differences in tone and setting. Both of them are about the end of the world as known for the male protagonist. Hinterland and Nebesa (Heavens Above) try to describe how men struggle with change and the death of their previous idealogies...

Click to read more ...

Locarno Diary #1: The festival begins with "Beckett"

by Elisa Giudici

A couple of weeks after having saying goodbye to Cannes and to the superb blue sea of the French Riviera, I am back at it by the majestic, cloudy mountains of Switzerland for the Locarno Film Festival: the long summer of European festival continues!

Up top you see the Piazza Grande (the biggest outdoor screen in Europe!) where we'll discover smaller movies and younger directors than the ones seen (and reviewed) at the Croisette. Unfortunately today the weather is really rainy. I am writing these lines with my raincoat on, wishing I followed that note I write to my future self every year at Locarno to stuff appropriate clothes in my car for mountain weather. The scenery is really majestic though, with clouds moving fast over the mountain tops and the city, like you're inside Olivier Assayas' Sils Maria.

Enough with scenery, let's talk about the opening night film... 

Click to read more ...

Venice 2021: The Jury

by Nathaniel R

With Cannes wrapped we move on to the fall festival buzz. Next up is Venice (September 1st-11th) and we are thrilled to report that Elisa Giudici, our Italian correspondent who did such a fine job covering Cannes, will repeat that trick for Venice. The 78th Venice festival has just announced the complete jury for its competition films. Like Cannes, they've chosen a majority female jury this time around. Unlike Cannes they went big on very recent Oscar nominees and winners...

Click to read more ...

"Parallel Mothers" to open Venice

by Nathaniel R

Reporting Pedro Almodóvar news twice over. First, his 22nd feature Parallel Mothers will open the 77th Venice Film Festival on September 1st, followed by a September rollout in Europe.  Sony Pictures Classics will distribute the film in the US though they haven't announced a specific date yet. Almodóvar has been an arthouse sensation in the international marketplace since the late 80s. Though he feels like an Oscar perennial the truth is that though he's often in 'the conversation', as it were, Oscar has been a bit stingy; Collectively his films have earned 7 Oscar nominations and 2 wins (Best Foreign-Language Film for All About My Mother and Best Screenplay for Talk To Her) but are often snubbed despite outclassing their competitors. Remember Volver not placing in Foreign-Language Film and The Human Voice not landing in the short film category just last season when in both cases they both ought to have won those particular categories given the finalists? 

The second bit of news is that we'll be launching a Thursday series here at TFE in which we'll (re)watch his whole filmography... which we've been meaning to do for awhile. His official debut Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom (1980) is surprisingly available on HBOMax at the moment!

Cannes Red Carpet Finale: Tilda, Adèle, Regina, Sharon, Gemma...

by Nathaniel R

As the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival recedes into the past, can we all agree that even after all these years, Tilda Swinton remains the most exciting red carpet icon? Consider that she chased that blue eye ribbon, with a frankenstein-pieced metallic look and an exquisitely tailored blue suit, then a red dog collar, and to close out the festival went with this cavalcade of androgynous billowing white pieces.

And because her face deserves exquisite fashion, too, she paired them with a different improbably shaped hairdo each time for good measure. She always keeps us guessing. The only thing you can safely predict about Tilda at each event is that she'll be memorable. 

More final Cannes '21 looks after the jump...

Click to read more ...