41st Locarno Film Festival

41st Locarno Film Festival
LocationLocarno, Switzerland
Founded1946
AwardsGolden Leopard:
Artistic directorDavid Strieff
No. of filmsOver 150 programed
In Competition: 18
Festival dateOpening: 4 August 1988 (1988-08-04)
Closing: 14 August 1988 (1988-08-14)
WebsiteLFF

The 41st Locarno Film Festival was held from 4 to 14 August 1988 in Locarno, Switzerland.[1][2] Over 150 films were shown at the festival, with 18 in competition, 18 out-of-competition, and the rest were split between various sections, including a retrospective of Alberto Cavalcanti and a national section dedicated to British cinema.[3][2]

The opening film was also a British film A World Apart directed by Chris Menges. However, the British Embassy refused hold it's reception on the same day as they did not want to be connected to a film that dealt with anti-apartheid activism. Festival director David Strieff described the position of the British Embassy as "outrageous".[1]

The television movie section was merged with the main program as David Strieff said the distinction between TV and theatrical movie was no longer relevant for the festival.[2] The Piazza Grande, the open-air theater, was only rained on for one night, but it forced director Nikos Panayotopoulos's highly anticipated film, The Woman Who Dreamed (I Yineka Pou Evlepe Ta Onira), to a indoor screening.[4][5]

The festival closing ceremony was briefly interrupted by Swiss anti-apartheid activists protesting Swiss Bank Union (UBS), a festival sponsor, for doing business with apartheid South Africa.[3][6]

The Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, was awarded to two film this year: Schmetterlinge directed by Wolfgang Becker, and Distant Voices, Still Lives directed by Terence Davies.[7][8]

Juries

International Jury – Main Competition

  • Gian Luigi Rondi, Jury chair, Italian screenwriter and former Venice Festival Festival Head[9]
  • Jose Alvaro Morais, Portuguese director
  • Jean Rouch, French director and anthropologist
  • Luc Bondy, Swiss film and theater director
  • Maria Rita Galvao, Sao Palo Cinematique director
  • Milva, Italian actress
  • Thomas Hurlimann, Swiss writer
  • Dimitri, Italian Mime
  • Federico Jolli, last minute juror, film journalist and member of Locarno commission[5]

Official Sections 1988

The following films were screened in these sections:[10]

International Competition

Feature Films

Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
36 Fillette Junior Size 36 Catherine Breillat 1988 France
Distant Voices, Still Lives Terence Davies 1988 Great Britain
Domani Accadrà It's Happening Tomorrow Daniele Luchetti 1988 Italia
Dzusovy Roman A Juicy Novel Fero Fenic 1984 Czech Republic
Eden Miseria Christine Laurent 1988 France
Filou Takehiro Nakajima 1988 Switzerland
Gost Visitor Alexandre Kaïdanovski 1988 Russia
Haitian Corner Raoul Peck 1987 Germany, France
Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai The Catastrophe Jahnu Barua 1987 India
Hotreal Ildiko Szabo 1988 Hungary
Kyôshû Memory Takehiro Nakajima 1987 Japan
Macao Oder Die Rücksteite Des Meeres Macao or the Back of the Sea Clemens Klopfenstein 1988 Switzerland
Nakhoda Khorshid Captain Khorshid Nasser Taghvai 1987 Iran
Sama The Trace Néjia Ben Mabrouk 1982 Tunisia, Belgium
Schlaflose Nächte Sleepless Nights Marcel Gisler 1988 Switzerland, Germany
Schmetterlinge Butterflies Wolfgang Becker 1986 Germany
Stesso Sangue Same Blood Sandro Cecca, Egidio Eronico 1988 Italia
Family Viewing Atom Egoyan 1987 Canada[11]

Out of Competition (Fuori Concorso)

Out of Competition

Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
A Winter Tan Jackie Burroughs, Louise Clark 1987 Canada
A World Apart Chris Menges 1988 Great Britain
Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam Bill Couturié 1987 USA
Doc's Kingdom Robert Kramer 1987 France
Hai Zi Wang H AI Zi Wang Chen Kaige 1987 China
Hong Gaoliang Hong GA o Beautiful Zhang Yimou 1987 China
Hotel Terminus - The Life And Times Of Klaus Barbie Marcel Ophuls 1988 USA
I Yineka Pou Evlepe Ta Onira The Woman Who Dreamed Nikos Panayotopoulos 1988 Greece
Komissar Commissar Aleksandr Askoldov 1967 Russia
Krotki Film O Zabijaniu A Short Film About Killing Krzysztof Kieślowski 1987 Poland
Les Noces Barbares Barbaric Wedding Marion Hänsel 1987 France, Belgium
Pelle Erobreren Pelle the Conqueror Bille August 1987 Denmark
Phera Buddhadeb Dasgupta 1986 India
Salaam Bombay! Mira Nair 1988 India, France
Sur On Fernando Solanas 1988 Argentina
Una Donna Spezzata A Broken Woman Marco Leto 1988 Italia

Special Program

Special Program
Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
Amore A Cinque Stelle Five Star Love Roberto Giannarelli 1988 Italia
Cuore Di Ladro Thief's Heart Fabrizio Giordani 1988 Italia
De Bruit Et De Fureur Of Noise and Fury Jean-Claude Brisseau 1986 Switzerland
Der Schuh Des Patriarchen The Patriarch's Shoe Bruno Moll 1988 Switzerland
Der Wilde Mann The Wild Man Matt Zschokke 1988 Switzerland
Fernanda Ricky Tognazzi 1988 Italia
Il Mitico Gianluca The Legendary Gianluca Francesco Lazotti 1988 Italia
Imago Meret Oppenheim Pamela Robertson Pearce, Anselm Spoerri 1988 Switzerland
La Vacanza The Holiday Roger Guillot 1988 Italia
Le Retour De L'Enfant Pauvre The Return of the Poor Child Martin Pierlot 1987 France
Liebeserklärung Declaration of Love Ursula Bischof Scherer, Georg Janett 1988 Switzerland
O Samba The Samba Daniele Costantini 1988 Italia
Pour Ecrire Un Mot To Write a Word Walter Marti, Reni Mertens 1988 Switzerland
Reisen Ins Landesinnere Travel Inland Matthias von Gunten 1988 Switzerland
Till Felix Tissi 1988 Switzerland, Germany

Tribute To – Five Ticino Film Stars

Tribute To Five Ticino Stars
Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
Die Ehe Der Maria Braun The Marriage of Maria Braun Rainer Werner Fassbinder 1978 Germany
La Merveilleuse Vie De Jeanne D'Arc The Wonderful Life of Joan of Arc Marco de Gastyne 1928 France
The Good Earth Sidney Franklin 1937 USA
The Women George Cukor 1939 USA
Voruntersuchung Preliminary Examination Robert Siodmark 1931 Germany

Retrospective – Alberto Cavalcanti

Retrospective Alberto Cavalcanti
Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
Alice In Switzerland Georges Alexath, Alberto Cavalcanti 1942 Great Britain
Au Pays Du Scalp In the Country of Scalp Marquis de Wavrin 1932 Belgium
Champagne Charlie Alberto Cavalcanti 1944 Great Britain
Coalface Alberto Cavalcanti 1936 Great Britain
Coralie Et Cie Alberto Cavalcanti 1933 France
Dead Of Night Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer 1945 Great Britain
Die Windrose That Windrosis Joris Ivens 1956 Germany
En Rade A Rade Alberto Cavalcanti 1927 France
Film And Reality Alberto Cavalcanti 1942 Great Britain
For Them That Trespass Alberto Cavalcanti 1949 Great Britain
Herr Puntila Und Sein Knecht Matti Mr. Puntila and His Servant Matti Alberto Cavalcanti 1955 Austria
La Galerie Des Monstres The Monster Gallery Jaque Catelain 1924 France
La Prima Notte The First Night Alberto Cavalcanti 1958 India, France
Le Truc Du Bresilien The Brazilian Thing Alberto Cavalcanti 1932 France
Line To Tcherva Hut Alberto Cavalcanti 1936 Great Britain
Men Of The Alps Alberto Cavalcanti 1939 Great Britain
Message From Geneva Alberto Cavalcanti 1937 Great Britain
Midsummer Day'S Work Alberto Cavalcanti 1939 Great Britain
Mulher De Verdade Real Woman Alberto Cavalcanti 1954 Brazil
New Rates Alberto Cavalcanti 1934 Great Britain
Night Mail Harry Watt, Basil Wright 1936 Great Britain
North Sea Harry Watt 1938 Great Britain
O Canto Do Mar The Canto of the Sea Alberto Cavalcanti 1954 Brazil
Pett And Pott Alberto Cavalcanti 1934 Great Britain
Plaisir Defendus Disable Pleasure Alberto Cavalcanti 1933 France
Rien Que Les Heures Just Hours Alberto Cavalcanti 1926 France
Simao, O Caolho Simao, Alberto Cavalcanti 1952 Brazil
The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby Alberto Cavalcanti 1947 Great Britain
The Little People Georg Pearson 1926 Great Britain
They Made Me A Fugitive Alberto Cavalcanti 1947 Great Britain
Tour De Chant Singing Tower Alberto Cavalcanti 1933 France
Trois Chants Pour La France Three Songs for France Alberto Cavalcanti 1942 Great Britain
Um Homem E O Cinema A Man and Cinema Alberto Cavalcanti 1976 Brazil
We Live In Two Worlds Alberto Cavalcanti 1937 Great Britain
Went The Day Well? Alberto Cavalcanti 1942 Great Britain
Yellow Caesar Alberto Cavalcanti 1941 Great Britain
Yvette Alberto Cavalcanti 1927 France

British National Cinema Week

British Week / Feature Films
Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
Business As Usual Lezli-Ann Barrette 1987 Great Britain
Dreaming Rivers Martina Attile 1988 Great Britain
Drowning By Numbers Peter Greendway 1988 Great Britain
Fire Raiser Su Braden, Trudi Davies 1988 Great Britain
Framed Youth Lesbian and Gay Youth Video Project 1983 Great Britain
Friendship'S Death Peter Wollen 1987 Great Britain
Further And Particular Stephen Dwoskin 1987 Great Britain
Girl Zone Carola Klein 1986 Great Britain
Handsworth Song John Akomfrah 1986 Great Britain
Out Of Order Jonnie Turpie 1988 Great Britain
Rocinante Ann Gudes, Eduardo Guedes 1986 Great Britain
Soursweet Mike Newell 1988 Great Britain
Stormy Monday Mike Figgis 1988 Great Britain
T. Dan Smith Amber Film 1988 Great Britain
The Last Of England Derek Jarman 1987 Great Britain
The Raggedy Rawney Bob Hoskins 1988 Great Britain
This Is Not An Aids Ad Isaac Julien 1987 Great Britain
Tumbledown Richard Eyre 1987 Great Britain
When The Dog Bites Penny Woolcock 1988 Great Britain
Short Films
Behind Closed Doors Anna Thew 1987 Great Britain
Deep Red Instant Love Rik Lander 1988 Great Britain
Lo Pay No Way Vulture Video 1984 Great Britain
Taxi Driver Ii George Barber 1986 Great Britain
The Hidden Wisdom Patricia Diaz, Michelle McIntosh 1987 Great Britain
Uranium Hex Sandra Lahire 1987 Great Britain
Water Works Tony Hill 1987 Great Britain

Carte Blanche to Ettore Scola

Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
La Prise Du Pouvoir Par Louis Xiv The Taking of Power by Louis XIV Roberto Rossellini 1966 France
Miracolo A Milano Miracle in Milan Vittorio De Sica 1950 Italia
Federico Fellini 1962 Italia
The Kid Charlie Chaplin 1921 USA
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre John Huston 1948 USA
Totò A Colori Totò in Color Steno Stefano Vanzina 1952 Italia

Out of Program

Original Title English Title Director(s) Production Country
Double Bande Double Band Christiane Kolla Switzerland

Independent Sections

Swiss Information (Information Suisse)

Swiss Ticino - Short Films
Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country
La Toilette De Venus Venus Toilet Adriano Kestenholz 1988 Switzerland
Ladro Di Voci Voices Thief Andrea Canetta 1987 Switzerland
Mah&Amp;Donna Linda Della Casa 1987 Switzerland
Sax Daniel de Ritis 1988 Switzerland
Un Uomo In Un Fosso A Man in a Ditch Dolores Camenisch 1988 Switzerland
Verdemare Unemployed Antonio Mariotti 1988 Switzerland
Swiss - Feature films
Andreas Patrick Lindenmaier 1988 Switzerland
Arnold Böcklin 1827-1901 Bernhard Raith 1981 Switzerland
Aus Allem Raus Und Mitten Drin Out of Everything Out and in the Middle of it Pius Morger 1988 Switzerland
Courir Les Rues Run the Streets Dominique Comtat Comtat 1988 Switzerland
Deshima DES Hi Beat Kuert 1987 Switzerland
Erzählung Für Sandra Narrative for Sandra 1988 Switzerland
Gemini, The Twin Stars Jacques Sandoz 1988 Switzerland
Happy End Marcel Schüpbach 1987 Switzerland
Kampf Ums Glück Fight for Luck Bernhard Giger 1987 Switzerland
La Dame De Paris The Lady of Paris Anne Theurillat 1987 Switzerland
La Loi Sauvage Wild Law Francis Reusser 1987 Switzerland
La Meridienne The Meridienne Jean-François Amiguet 1988 Switzerland
La Vallee Fantôme The Ghost Vallee Alain Tanner 1987 Switzerland
Mario Botta Senza Luce Nessuno Spazio Mario Botta without Light No Space Andres Pfäffli 1988 Switzerland
Schlachtzeichen Slaughterhouse Thomas Imbach 1987 Switzerland
Si Le Soleil Ne Revenait Pas If the Sun Was not Coming Back Claude Goretta 1987 Switzerland
Umbruch Upheaval Hans-Ulrich Schlumpf 1987 Switzerland
Zimmer 36 Markus Fischer 1988 Switzerland
Swiss - Animated Films
Douce Nuit Sweet Night Martial Wannaz 1987 Switzerland
Ds Nüüni Tram Marc Sanz 1986 Switzerland
Exercice D'Attente Waiting Exercise Marc Sanz 1988 Switzerland
Herzens-Freude Heart Joy Anka Schmid 1987 Switzerland
Hungry Claudius Gentinetta 1988 Switzerland
Le Gastronaute The Gart Zorgia Derek White, Dutch With 1988 Switzerland
Question D'Optiques Optics Claude Luyet 1986 Switzerland
Reflex Alexis Berset 1987 Switzerland

Official Awards

Official Jury of the International Competition

Youth Jury

Ecumenical Jury

Cicae Jury

FIPRESCI Jury

  • International Critic Award: Family Viewing directed by Atom Egoyan
  • Honorable Mention FIPRESCI: Schmetterlinge directed by Wolfgang Becker

Source:[8][7][12]

References

  1. ^ a b Roddick, Nick (13 August 1988). "News: World apart in Locarno row". Screen International. No. 655. London. p. 2.
  2. ^ a b c "LOCARNO: Keeping Up the Locarno Reputation". Screen International. 6 August 1988. p. 13.
  3. ^ a b Fainaru, Edna (24 August 1988). "Pictures: Protesters spice locarno fest". Variety. Vol. 332, no. 5. p. 6.
  4. ^ Grivas, Alexis (6 August 1988). ""International News: New Panayotopoulos Film to Premiere at Locarno Festival."". Screen International. No. 644. p. 11.
  5. ^ a b "Pictures: LOCARNO - LOCARNO CHATTER". Variety. Vol. 332, no. 4. 17 August 1988. p. 7.
  6. ^ Roddick, Nick (20 August 1988). "News: Locarno fest begins and ends in SA controversy". Screen International. No. 666. p. 4.
  7. ^ a b "The Festival - Palmarès". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  8. ^ a b "1988 Locarno Film Festival". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  9. ^ Roddick, Nick (30 July 1988). "News: Locarno gets set for 41st session with biggest line-up". Screen International. No. 663. p. 6.
  10. ^ "Locarno Film Festival · All the films of the Locarno Film Festival..." Locarno Film Festival. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  11. ^ "LOCARNO: FILMS IN COMPETITION". Screen International. No. 664. 6 August 1988. p. 13.
  12. ^ ""Pictures: LOCARNO - LOCARNO FESTIVAL AWARDS."". Variety. Vol. 332, no. 4. 17 August 1988. p. 7.