Critical Zone, an Iranian drama shot in secret by dissident director Ali Ahmadzadeh, has won the Golden Leopard honor for best film at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival.
Ahmadzadeh, who has been banned from leaving Iran, was unable to attend the awards ceremony, held at the Swiss city Saturday night. The Iranian government pressured the director to pull the film from competition. Through its story of a man and his dog, who navigate Tehran’s underworld, selling drugs and talking to troubled souls, Critical Zone depicts a nation rebelling against an oppressive regime in any way it can. Produced by Germany’s Counter Intuitive Film, Critical Zone is being sold worldwide by Luxbox.
Another proudly political filmmaker, British legend Ken Loach, won the audience award, the UBS Prix du Public, at Locarno’s 76th annual festival for his latest (and perhaps last) feature film: The Old Oak. The drama, which premiered in Cannes, centers on a working-class English pub whose regulars welcome a group of Syrian refugees.
Romanian art-house favorite Radu Jude won the Special Jury Prize in Locarno for his latest, laconic effort, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World. Ukrainian filmmaker Maryna Vroda took the best director prize for her feature debut, Stepne.
The gender-neutral acting awards, introduced at Lorcano this year, went to Dimitra Vlagopoulou for Animal from Greek filmmaker Sofia Exarchou, and to Renée Soutendijk for Ena Sendijarević’s Sweet Dreams.
The 77th Locarno Film Festival will take place from Aug. 7-17, 2024.
A full list of 2023 Locarno award winners follows.
Concorso Internazionale
Pardo d’oro, Grand Prize of the Festival of the City of Locarno to the best film
Mantagheye Bohrani (Critical Zone), director Ali Ahmadzadeh, Iran/Germany
Special Jury Prize of the Cities of Ascona and Losone
Nu Aștepta Prea Mult de la Sfârșitul Lumii (Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World), director Radu Jude, Romania/Luxembourg/France
Croatia Pardo for Best Direction of the City and Region of Locarno
Maryna Vroda for Stepne, director Ukraine/Germany/Poland/Slovakia
Pardo for Best Performance
Dimitra Vlagopoulou for Animal
Pardo for Best Performance
Renée Soutendijk for Sweet Dreams
Special Mention
Nuit Obscure – Au Revoir Ici, N’importe Où, director Sylvain George, France/Switzerland
Concorso Cineasti del Presente
Pardo d’oro Concorso Cineasti del presente for best film
Hao Jiu Bu Jian (Dreaming & Dying), director Nelson Yeo, Singapore/Indonesia
Best Emerging Director Award of the City and Region of Locarno
Katharina Huber for Ein Schöner Ort, director Germany
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+
Camping du Lac, director Éléonore Saintagnan, Belgium/France
Pardo for Best Performance
Clara Schwinning for Ein Schöner Ort
Pardo for Best Performance
Isold Halldórudóttir and Stavros Zafeiris for Touched
Special Mentions
Ekskurzija (Excursion), director Una Gunjak, Bosnia-Herzegovina/Croatia/Serbia/France/Norway/Qatar
Negu Hurbilak, director Colectivo Negu, Spain
First Feature
Swatch First Feature Award for Hao Jiu Bu Jian (Dreaming & Dying), director Nelson Yeo, Singapore/Indonesia
Concorso Corti d’Autore
Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film
The Passing, director Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan, USA
Special Mention and Short Film candidate of the Locarno Film Festival for the European Film Awards
Been There, director Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Switzerland
Concorso Internazionale, Pardi di Domani
Pardino d’oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film
En Undersøgelse Af Empati (A Study of Empathy), director Hilke Rönnfeldt, Denmark/Germany
Pardino d’argento SRG SSR for the International Competition
Du Bist So Wunderbar, director Leandro Goddinho, Paulo Menezes, Germany/Brazil
Pardi di domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering
Eric K. Boulianne for Faire Un Enfant, director Canada
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award
Negahban (The Guard), director Amirhossein Shojaei, Iran
Special Mention
The Lovers, director Carolina Sandvik, Sweden
Concorso Nazionale, Pardi di Domani
Pardino d’oro Swiss Life for the Best Swiss Short Film
Letzte Nacht, director Lea Bloch, Switzerland
Pardino d’argento Swiss Life for the National Competition
Night Shift, director Kayije Kagame, Hugo Radi, Switzerland
Best Swiss Newcomer Award
Letzte Nacht, director Lea Bloch, Switzerland
Pardo Verde Ricola
Čuvari Formule (Guardians of the Formula), director Dragan Bjelogrlić, Serbia/Slovenia/Montenegro/ North Macedonia
Special Mentions
Procida, film made by the participants of Procida Film Atelier, Italy
Valley Pride, director Lukas Marxt, Austria/Germany
Independent Jury Awards
UBS Prix du Public
The Old Oak, director Ken Loach, U.K./France/Belgium
Variety Piazza Grande Award
Guardians of the Formula, director Dragan Bjelogrlić, Serbia/Slovenia/Montenegro/North Macedonia
Ecumenical Jury Award
Patagonia, director Simone Bozzelli, Italy
Special Mention
Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, director Radu Jude, Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia
FIPRESCI Award
Stepne, director Maryna Vroda Ukraine/Germany/Poland/Slovakia
European Cinemas Label Award
Yannick, director Quentin Dupieux, France
Critics’ Week Aawards
Grand Prix
Monogamia, director Ohad Milstein, Israel
Premio Zonta Club Locarno
Les Soeurs Pathan, director Eléonore Boissinot, France
Marco Zucchi Award
Les Premiers Jours, director Stéphane Breton, France
