The 49th Locarno Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 August 1996 in Locarno, Switzerland. There were seventeen films in competition and a retrospective of Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. This year the festival made a big change: the competition was no longer limited to first and second feature films from new directors.
Festival chief, Marco Mueller wished to attract bigger-name established directors to the festival and get films from returning directors who made their mark at Locarno. Therefore, the festival competition was open to films from all directors, not just new filmmakers. For example, this year saw the return of filmmaker Clara Law, who won a Golden Leopard in 1992, with a new film Floating Life in competition. The festival also saw films in competition from established directors like Claire Denis and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Additionally, some films in competition were screened on the Piazza Grande, rather the normal practice of showing all films in competition on the same screens.
The Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, was awarded to Nénette and Boni directed by Claire Denis.
Jury Rakshan Bani-Etemad, Iranian director Catherine Breillat, French director and writer Bernard Comment, Swiss Novelist and screenwriter Giovanni Grazzini, Italian critic and film historian Yousry Nasrallah, Egyptian film director Marisa Paredos, Spanish actress Christine Vachon, American film producer Barbara Kruger, American artist
Official Sections 1996
The following films were screened in these sections:
Piazza Grande Piazza Grande Original titleEnglish titleDirector(s)YearProduction countryIl Giorno Della Prima Di Close-UpThe Day of the First of Close-UpNanni Moretti1996ItaliaIndian SummerNancy Merckler1996Great BritainJames and the Giant PeachHenry Selick1995USALa Seconda VoltaThe Second TimeMimmo Calopresti1996ItaliaLe Violon De RothschildRothschild ViolinEdgardo Cozarisnky1996FranceLes VoleursThievesAndré Téchiné1996FranceLibertariasLibertariaVicente Aranda1995Spain, EgyptMicrocosmosMicrocosmClaude Nuridsany, Marie Pérennou1996France, SwitzerlandPoussieres D'Amour - Abfallprodukte Der LiebePoussieres d'Amour - Waste Products of LoveWerner Schroeter1996France, GermanySecrets And LiesMike Leich1995Great Britain
International Competition
International Competition (Concorso Internazionale) English title Original Title Director(s) Year Production Country Phantoms of the Asphalt Afarit El-Asphalt Oussama Fawzi 1996 EgyptChalk Rob Nilsson 1996 USA Choose a Friend ... Choisis-Toi Un Ami... Mama Keita 1996 FranceColor of a Brisk and Leaping Day Christopher Münich 1996 USA Concert for a Rat Concert Dlia Krisi Oleg Kovalov 1995 RussiaFloating Life Clara Law 1996 Australia Slaughter of the Cock I Sfagi Tou Kokora Andreas Pantzis 1996 Cyprus, GreeceLilies John Greyson 1996 CanadaMarian Petr Václav 1996 Czech Republic, France Honey and Ash Miel et Cendres Nadia Farès 1996 Switzerland, Tunisia Nénette and Boni Nenette Et Boni Claire Denis 1995 FranceNerolio Aurelio Grimaldi 1996 Italia Bread and Flour Nun Va Guldun Mohsen Makhmalbaf 1996 Iran The Eye's of Asia Os Olhos Da Asia Joao Maria Grilo 1995 PortugalSeven Servants Daryush Shokof 1995 Germany Conspirators of Pleasure Spiklenci Slasti Jan Svankmajer 1996 Czech Republic, SwitzerlandTiburzi Paolo Benvenuti 1966 Italia
Filmmakers of the Present (Cineasti del Presente) Filmmakers of the Present - Out of Competition Original Title English title Director(s) Year Production Country A Small Domain Britta Sjogren 1996 USA Automatic Writing Ann Marie Fleming 1996 Germany Bari - Zogon Fumiki Watanabe 1996 Japan Hôtel Abyssinie Abyssinia Hotel Patricia Plattner 1996 France, Switzerland Impressions D'Afrique & Du Sud Impressions of Africa & South Karim Dridi 1996 France L'Uomo Di Carta The Paper Man Stefano Incerti 1996 Italia La Fabrique De L'Homme Occidental The Factory of Western Man Gérald Caillat 1996 France La Moindre Des Choses The Least of Things Nicolas Philibert 1996 France La Rencontre Meeting Alain Cavalier 1996 France Le Crur Fantôme The Ghost Crurve Philippe Garrel 1996 France Le Fantôme De Longstaff The Longstaff Ghost Luc Moullet 1996 France Le Ventre De L'Amerique America's Belly Luc Moullet 1996 France Lo Specchio Di Diana Diana's Mirror Yervant Granikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi 1996 Italia Lost Book Found Jem Cohen 1996 USA Marseille Contre Marseille Marseille Against Marseille Jean-Louis Comolli 1996 France Mes Dix-Sept Ans My Seventeen Philippe Faucon 1996 France Obsessive Becoming Daniel Reeves Reeves 1995 Great Britain, USA Par Un Jour De Violence Ordinaire, Mon Ami Michel Seurat... On a Day of Ordinary Violence, My Friend Michel Seurat ... Omar Amiralay 1996 France Sa Vie À Elle Her Life Roman Goupil 1995 France Si Bleu, Si Calme And Blue, and Calm Eliane de de Latour 1996 France The Arena Of Murder Amos Gitai 1996 Israel The Bloody Child Nina Menkes 1996 USA The Present Robert Frank 1996 USA The Willing Voyeur Richard Kerr 1996 Canada Tino E Tano Sure that Applicable Giuseppe Bertolucci 1996 Italia, Switzerland Utazas Az Alföldön Traveling in the Great Plain Béla Tarr 1995 Hungary Vento 'E Terra Wind 'And Earth Antonietta De Lillo 1996 Italia Walk The Walk Robert Kramer Kramer 1995 France, Switzerland
Leopards of Tomorrow Leopards of Tomorrow (Pardi di Domani) Sacher Special ProgramOriginal titleEnglish titleDirector(s)YearProduction countryAppunti Di Questi Giorni 1943-44Notes of These Days 1943-44Emanuela Gordano, Antonio ManziniItaliaAvant Le SoirBefore EveningPietro Antonio RizzoItaliaLa PlaceTo PlaceGiovanni MadernaItaliaLa Scala Lunga Poggiata Alla LunaThe Long Scale Resting on the MoonAlberto SimoneItaliaSilhouetteMatteo GarroneItalia French Short Films – In Competition Original Title English title Director(s) Year Production Country Alger La Blanche Algiers La Blanche Cyril Collard 1985 France Au Bord De L'Autoroute On the Edge of the Highway Olivier Jahan 1996 France Bien Sous Tous Rapports Well in all Respects Marina de Van 1996 France C'Est La Haine It's Hatred Ahmed Bouchaala 1993 France Ce Qui Me Meut What Moves Me Cédric Klapisch 1989 France Chien Noir Black Dog Gilles Adrien 1995 France Classique Classic Christian Vincent 1986 France Comme Les Autres Like the Others Didier Bivel 1995 France Comme On Respire As We Breathe Myriam Aziza 1995 France Des Filles Et Des Chiens Girls and Dogs Sophie Fillières 1991 France Dimanche Soir Sunday Evening Solange Martin 1993 France Dis-Moi Oui, Dis-Moi Non Tell Me Yes, Tell Me No Noémie Lvovsky 1990 France Emilie Müller Yvon Marciano 1993 France Entre Nous Between Us Juliette Senik 1995 France Fierrot Le Pou Fierrot Le to Mathieu Kassovitz 1990 France Film De Famille Family Movie Jean-Pierre Delattre 1995 France Gorille, Mon Ami Gorilla, My Friend Emmanuel Malherbe 1996 France Grandir To Grow Virginie Wagon 1995 France Interim Jean-Pierre Améris 1988 France Jeux De Plage Beach Games Laurent Cantet 1995 France L'Enfant De La Ciotat The Child of La Ciotat Arnaud Debréek 1995 France L'Etrangère The Strawberry Françoisz Chilowicz 1995 France La Combine De La Girafe The Combination of the Giraffe Thomas Glou 1983 France La Cuisinière The Cook Wanda Kujacz 1995 France La Fille Et L'Amande The Girl and the Almond Bénédicte Brunet 1996 France La Mère The Mother Caroline Bottaro 1995 France La Pierre De L'Attente The Stone of Waiting Tran Ahn Hung 1991 France La Première Journee De Nicolas Nicolas' First Day Manuel Poirier 1985 France La Rue Ouverte The Open Street Michel Spinosa 1987 France La Vie Parisienne Parisian Life Hélène Angel 1995 France La Vie À Rebours Life in Reverse Gaël Morel 1994 France Le Baiser Kiss Him Pascal Ferran 1990 France Le Chien Qui Avait Soif The Dog Who Was Thirsty Philippe Rony 1996 France Le Cochon The Pig Partho Gupta 1996 France Le Livre De Minuit The Midnight Book Thierry Binisti 1996 France Le Mariage Blanc White Marriage Christine Carrière 1990 France Le Matou Our Xavier Beauvois 1986 France Le Mesange The Mesange Catherine Corsini 1982 France Le Ravin The Ravine Catherine Kelin 1995 France Le Soleil A Promis De Se Lever Demain The Sun Has Promised to Get Up Tomorrow Fabienne Godet 1995 France Les Deux Fragonard Both Fragonard Philippe Le Guay 1986 France Madame Jacques Sur La Croisette Madame Jacques on the Croisette Emmanuel Finkiel 1995 France Menage Household Pierre Salvadori 1992 France Never Twice Vincent Ravalec 1995 France Paris-Ficelle Laurence Ferreira-Barbosa 1982 France Poussiêre D'Etoiles Etoiles Chick Angès Merlet 1986 France Presence Feminine Erich Rochant 1987 France Romaine Et Les Filles Roman and Girls Agnès Obadia 1995 France Sang D'Encre Ink Blood Laurent de Bartillat 1994 France Soigneurs Dehors! Careers Outside! Pascal Deux 1995 France Tout Doit Disparaître Everything Must Disappear Jean-Marc Moutout 1996 France Une Femme Pour L'Hiver A Woman for Winter Manuel Flèche 1990 France Une Robe D'Ete A Summer Dress François Ozon 1996 France Une Visite A Visit Rhilippe Harel 1995 France Vacances À Bleriot Holidays in Bleriot Bruno Bontzolakis 1995 France Virage Turn Ludovic Cantais 1995 France Xxy Jean-Charles Gaudin 1995 France Yeti Philippe Bridou 1995 France Zoe La Boxeuse Zoe the Boxer Karim Dridi 1992 France Zohra À La Plage Zohra at the Beach Catherine Bernstein 1995 FranceShort Swiss Films – In Competition Bad Trip To Mars Fulvio Bernasconi 1996 Switzerland Comme D'Habitude As per Usual Isabelle Balducchi 1996 Switzerland D.U.M.B - Down Under Manhattan Bridge Laurent Kibrit 1995 Switzerland Der Astronaut The Astronaut Pierre Mennel 1995 Switzerland Dr. Younamis Sagt: Warum Eine Frau Einen Mann Hassen Sollte Dr. YOUNAMIS Says: Why a Woman Should Hate a Man Daniel Young 1996 Switzerland, USA Dr. Younamis' Couch Igor Bauersima 1996 Switzerland, Germany Endspur Final Lane Sabine Boss 1995 Switzerland Entre Frère Et Soeur Between Brother and Sister Isabelle Blanc 1996 Switzerland Excursion Romed Wyder 1996 Switzerland Idyllische Landschaft Oder Die Erfindung Der Freiheit Idyllic Landscape or the Invention of Freedom Judith Rutishauser 1995 Switzerland Mon Chère, L'Escabeau, La Dinde Et Le Cabot My Dear, the Stepladder, the Turkey and the Cabot Cèline Macherel 1996 Switzerland Nascondiglio - Das Versteck Nascondiglio - The Hiding Place Roberto Di Valentino 1995 Switzerland Nature Morte Death Lifes Isabelle Singer 1995 Switzerland Orson & Welles Felix Schaad 1995 Switzerland Soir De Fête Festive Night Hélène Faucherre 1996 Switzerland Taxi Service Elie Kahlifé, Alexandre Monnier 1996 Switzerland Une Semaine Plus Tard A Week Later Yakup Yilmaz 1996 Switzerland À L'Abri Du Monde Out of the World Frank Preiswerk 1995 Switzerland
Tribute To – Mimmo Calopresti Tribute To Mimmo Calopresti Original Title English title Director(s) Year Production Country A Proposito Di Sbavature Speaking of Smudges Mimmo Calopresti, Claudio Paletto 1984 Italia Alla Fiat Era Così The Fiat Was Like that Mimmo Calopresti 1990 Italia Oltre Il Confine Beyond the Border Mimmo Calopresti 1996 Italia Pane Pace Libertà - 1943-1945 Mimmo Calopresti 1994 Italia Paolo Ha Un Lavoro Paolo Has a Job Mimmo Calopresti 1991 Italia Remzija Mimmo Calopresti 1992 Italia
Retrospective – Youssef Chahine