Locarno Film Festival 2011 Switzerland

Argentina and Romania received the best prizes of Locarno Film Festival 2011

“Abrir puertas y ventanas” (Back to Stay) by Milagros Mumenthaler, co-production Argentina/Switzerland won Golden Leopard, FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) prize, while María Canale took the Best Actress award.[googlead tip=”lista_medie” aliniat=”stanga”]

“Abrir puertas y ventanas”  (To open doors and windows) is about three sisters who are trying to find their life paths. After their parents have died Marina (María Canale), Sofia (Martina Juncadella) and Violeta Tauss (Ailín Salas) have been raised by their grandmother. The grandmother has died too and the three of them have to look for other ways of living, without a parent figure.
Milagros has two sisters herself and she tells the story in an empathic way.
“What a great experience.” Said Milagros Mumenthaler on stage at the Piazza Grande when she received the prize.

Adrian Sitaru won the Best Director Leopard for the film “Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intenţii” (Best Intentions), Romania/Hungary co-production, and Bogdan Dumitrache received the Best Actor award.
Alex (Bogdan Dumitrache) is an young man who has emotional issues.  When his mother (Nataşa Raab) suffers a stroke and she is hospitalized, he comes to the hospital and look after her. He tries to follow everyone’s advice and lives under the impression that anything could hurt his mother. Alex makes mistakes driven by love and by the best intentions, as the title says: “Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intenţii.”[googlead tip=”vertical_mic”]
Adrian Sitaru already won another prize at Locarno festival, the Leopards of Tomorrow in 2007, for his short film “Valuri” (Waves).
“I had a great experience here four years ago I said when I accepted my prize that I’d be back for a larger version of the award and here I am,” said Adrian Sitaru on the stage at Piazza Grande.

[googlead tip=”vertical_mediu” aliniat=”dreapta”] Portuguese film producer, Paulo Branco, the jury president, said they had created a special jury prize for the first time ever in Locarno for Shinji Aoyama‘s outstanding career and his film “Tokyo Koen. ” (An young amateur photographer in Tokyo accepts an unusual assignment and his life begins to change).

From August 3 through August 13 Locarno Film Festival 2011 displayed around 200 films and 60 short movies with around 40 world premieres.

The blockbuster “Cowboys & Aliens” had 7,600 viewers on the Piazza Grande’s big screen while only 2,200 people attended american thriller flick “Red State. ”

Other festival prizes went to “Nana” by Valerie Massadian, France ( Best First Work), “L’estate di Giacomo”  by Alessandro Comodin, Italy/France/Belgium (George Foundation Prize) “Rauschgift” (Addicted) by Peter Baranowski, Germany (Best International Short Film), “L’Ambassadeur & Moi” (The Ambassador & Me) by Jan Czarlewski (Best Swiss Short Film).“Monsieur Lazhar” by Philippe Falardeau, Canada, took Public’s Prize UBS and Variety Piazza Grande Award. Like Adrian Sitaru did four years ago, Jan Czarlewski promised to return aiming for a good prize.

Locarno Film Festival 2011 closed with “Et si on vivait tous ensemble”(And If We All Lived Together) by Stephane Robelin, France. The movie is about some old friends. They try to avoid going to a retirement house and decide to move in together. The film features Jane Fonda and Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie Chaplin’s daughter.

Locarno Film Festival 2011 had other prizes too, you can find the full list here.