The 62nd Locarno Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 August 2009 in Locarno, Switzerland. There were 18 films from 15 countries in competition, seven of which were from first time directors. The opening film of the festival was (500) Days Of Summer directed by Marc Webb. The closing film of the festival was Byambasuren Davaa's 2009 documentary Two Horses of Genghis Khan (Chingisiyn Hoyor Zagal).
The festival held a retrospective of the work of Italian filmmaker and actor Pippo Delbono and a section dedicated to Manga and Japanese anime. This year's Open Doors section was dedicated to Chinese cinema.
The Leopard of Honor was awarded to William Friedkin for his career in cinema and his film To Live And Die In L.A. was featured on the Piazza Grande, the 8,000-seat open-air theater.
The Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, was awarded to She, A Chinese directed by Xiaolu Guo.
Official Jury Jonathan Nossiter, American director Hong Sang-soo, South Korean director Pascal Bonitzer, French director, screenwriter, and critic Nina Hoss, German actress Alba Rohrwacher, Italian actress Luis Minarro, Spanish producer Jean-Marie Blanchand, former director of the Grand Theatre de Geneve.
Official Sections
The following films were screened in these sections:
Piazza Grande The following films were screened on the Piazza Grande: English Title Original Title Director(s) Year Production Country(500) Days Of Summer Marc Webb 2008 USAAkira Katsuhiro Otomo 1988Blue Sofa Giuseppe Baresi, Pippo Delbono, Lara Fremder 2009 Italia Two Horses of Genghis Khan Chingisiyn Hoyor Zagal Byambasuren Davaa 2009 GermanyFirst Squad: The Moment Of Truth Yoshiharu Ashino, Aljoscha Klimov, Misha Shprits 2009 Canada Julia's Disappearance Giulias Verschwinden Christoph Schaub 2009 Switzerland The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness La Guerre Des Fils De Lumière Contre Les Fils Des Ténèbres Amos Gitai 2009 France The House of Small Cubes La Maison en Petits Cubes Kunio Katō 2008 Japan The Valley La Valle Delle Ombre Misha Gyorik 2009 Switzerland The Consequences of Love Le Conseguenze Dell'Amore Paolo Sorrentino 2004 Happy End Les Derniers Jours Du Monde Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu 2009 France Simone's Eyes (short) Les Yeux De Simone (short) Jean-Louis Porchet 2009 SwitzerlandMarching Band Héléna Cotinier, Pierre-Nicolas Durand, Claude Miller 2009 FranceMobile Suit Gundam I Yoshiyuki Tomino 1981My Sister's Keeper Nick Cassavetes 2009 USAPassion Jean-Luc Godard 1982Petit Indi Marc Recha 2009 Spain Pom Poko Isao Takahata 1994 JapanRedline Takeshi Koike 2009 JapanSame Same but Different Detlev Buck 2009 GermanySounds and Silence Peter Guyer, Norbert Wiedmer 2009 SwitzerlandTo Live and Die in L.A. William Friedkin 1985 Saviors in the Night Unter Bauern - Retter In Der Nacht Ludi Boeken 2009 Germany
International Competition The following films were screened in the International Competition: Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country A Religiosa Portuguesa Eugène Green 2009 Portugal Akadimia Platonos Platonos Academy Filippos Tsitos 2009 Greece Au Voleur Thief Sarah Leonor 2009 France Buben.Baraban Alexei Mizgirev 2009 Russia Complices Accomplices Frédéric Mermoud 2009 France Frontier Blues Babak Jalali 2009 Iran L'Insurgée Insurgent Laurent Perreau 2009 France La Cantante De Tango Tango Singer Diego Martinez Vignatti 2008 Belgium La Donation The Legacy Bernard Émond 2009 Canada La Invencion De La Carne The Invention of Meat Santiago Loza 2009 Argentina La Paura - Out Of Competition Pippo Delbono 2009 France Nothing Personal Urszula Antoniak 2009 Netherlands Os Famosos E Os Duendes Da Morte The Famous and the Goblins of Death Esmir Filho 2009 Brazil Sham Moh Yuhang Ho 2009 Malaysia She, a Chinese Xiaolu GUO 2009 Great Britain Shirley Adams Oliver Hermanus 2009 South Africa Summer Wars Mamoru Hosoda 2009 Japan The Search Pema Tseden 2009 China Wakaranai I Don't Know Masahiro Kobayashi 2008 Japan
Filmmakers of the Present The Concorso Cineasti del Presente, also known as the Filmmakers of the Present Competition, showcases first and second feature films from emerging filmmakers. The following films were screened in the Filmmakers of the Present Competition section:
Filmmakers of the Present Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country A Fuga, A Raiva, A Dança, A Bunda, A Boca, A Calma, A Vida Da Mulher Gorila The Escape, the Anger, the Dance, the Ass, the Mouth, the Calm, the Life of the Gorilla Woman Felipe Bragança, Marina Meliande 2009 Brazil Castro Alejo Moguillansky 2008 Argentina Hälsningar Från Skogen Greetings from the Forest Mikel Cee Karlsson 2009 Sweden Ivul Weather Andrew Kötting 2009 France Kaerlighedens Krigere The Warriors of Love Simon Staho 2009 Sweden Köprüdekiler-Men On The Bridge Bridge on the Bridge Asli Özge 2009 Turkey La Reine Des Pommes The Apple Queen Valérie Donzelli 2009 France Mirna Corso Salani 2009 Italia Musashi: The Dream Of The Last Samurai Mizuho Nishikubo 2009 Japan Nikotoko Tou Threw Yours Takuya Dairiki, Takashi Miura 2008 Japan October Country Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri 2009 USA Piombo Fuso Melted Lead Stefano Savona 2009 Italia Sogno Il Mondo Il Venerdì I Dream of the World on Friday Pasquale Marrazzo 2009 Italia The Anchorage Anders Edström, C.W. Winter 2009 USA The Marsdreamers Richard Dindo 2009 Switzerland Todos Mienten Everyone Lies Matías Piñeiro 2009 Argentina Un Transport En Commun Public Transport Dyana Gaye 2009 France, Metropolitan
Open Doors: Screenings This year's Open Doors section was dedicated to China. The following films were screened in the Open Doors section: Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country Bu Fa Fen Zi Jie Han 2006 Dumplings Fruit Chan 2004 Er Dong Is Dong Jin Yang 2008 China Exodus PANG Ho-cheung 2007 Hong Kong Hao Duo Da Mi Li Hongqi 2005 China He Fengming Bing WANG 2007 Hong Kong Kuqi De Nüren LIU Bingjian 2001 China Liu Liang Shen Gou Ren Singing CHEN 2007 Taiwan Mang Jing LI Yang 2003 Hong Kong Mang Zhong Zhang Lu 2005 Mu Bang YU Guangyi 2006 China Niupi Er LIU Jiayin 2009 China Petition-La Cour Des Plaignants Petition-the Complainant's Courtyard LIANG Zhao 2009 France San... DU Hai-bin 2007 China Taiyang Zhao Chang Shengqui Wen Jiang 2007 Hong Kong Wan Mei Sheng Huo Emily TANG 2008 Hong Kong Xiao Wu Jia Zhangke 1998 China Yan Mo YAN Yu 2005 China Yang Yang The One CHENG Yu-chieh 2009 Taiwan Yasukuni LI Ying 2007 Japan Ye Dian Qing Yang 2008 China Yihe Yuan LOU Ye 2006 Zuo You Xiaoshuai WANG 2007 China
Leopards of Tomorrow The Leopard of Tomorrow section, also known as the Pardi di Domani, features short and medium-length films. The following films were screened in the Leopard of Tomorrow section:
International Competition International Competition – Leopards of Tomorrow Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country Absent Guillermo Asensio Alegre 2009 Spain Alice Au Pays S'Émerveille Alice in the Country Marvels Marie-Eve Signeyrole 2009 France Beast Lars p Arendt 2009 Denmark Believe Paul Wright 2009 Great Britain Brave Donkey Gaysorn Thavat 2009 New Zealand Diesis 1 Franke Frigo 2008 Italia Edgar Fabian Busch 2009 Germany Gestreept Striped Jonas Baeckeland, Toon Mertens 2008 Belgium Gjemsel Hide Aleksandra Niemczyk 2008 Norway Kokon Size Till Kleinert 2009 Germany Kurjuuden Kuningas King of Misery Mikko Myllylahti 2008 Finland La Vie Commence Life Begins Émile Proulx-Cloutier 2009 Canada Mandarin Peel Anna McGrath 2009 Australia Mira Gregorio Graziosi 2009 Brazil Mixtape Peter Corina, Timothy S. Pfeffer 2009 USA No Country For Chicken Huang Huang 2008 China Palmele Palms George Chiper 2009 Romania Posledniy Den' Bulkina I.S. The Last Day of Bulkina I.S. Alexey Andrianov 2009 Russia Six Guillaume Giovanetti, Çağla Zencirci 2009 Japan Siyur Mudrach Ciur Money Benjamin Freidenberg 2009 Israel Túneles En El Río Tunnels in the River Igor Galuk 2009 Argentina Um Dia Frio A Cold Day Claudia Varejão 2009 Portugal Variaciok Vary Krisztina Esztergályos 2009 Hungary Vivre Encore Un Peu... Live a Little more ... David Lambert 2009 Belgium
National Competition National Competition – Leopards of Tomorrow Original titleEnglish titleDirector(s)YearProduction country Brandstifter Arsonist Felix von Muralt 2009 Switzerland Connie Judith Kurmann 2009 Switzerland Déjà Antonin Schopfer 2009 Switzerland Freud'S Magic Powder Edouard Getaz 2009 Switzerland Kiss Who Riccardo Bernasconi 2009 Switzerland Kitsch Panorama Gilles Monnat 2009 Switzerland La Salle Des Maîtres The Master Hall Tareq Daoud 2009 Switzerland Las Pelotas The Balls Chris Niemeyer 2009 Switzerland Le Téméraire The Reckless Lila Ribi 2009 Switzerland Nachtspaziergang Night Walk Christof Wagner 2009 Switzerland Schonzeit Homemade Irene Ledermann 2009 Switzerland Vas-Y Je T'Aime Go Ahead I Love you Marie-Elsa Sgualdo 2009 Switzerland À Côté Next to Basil Da Cunha 2009 Switzerland
Juries Film The following films were screened in the Juries Film section: Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country 1958 Ghassan Salhab 2009 Lebanon Al Mor Wa Al Rumman Al -Murr and Al -Roman Najwa Najjar 2009 Bam Gua Nat Hong Sang-soo 2008 South Korea Bonne Nuit Good Night Valéry Rosier 2008 France Carcasses Denis Côté 2009 En La Ciudad De Sylvia In the City of Sylvia José Luis Guerín 2007 Spain Il Papà Di Giovanna Giovanna's Dad Pupi Avati 2008 Je Pense A Vous I Think of you Pascal Bonitzer 2006 Marseille Angela Schanelec 2003 Germany On Dirait Le Sud It Looks Like the South Vincent Pluss 2002 Parque Via Via Park Enrique Rivero 2008 Pescuit Sportiv Hooked Adrian Sitaru 2008 Romania Romanzo Criminale Criminal Novel Michele Placido 2005 Sabado Saturday Matías Bize 2003 SerbisService Brillante Mendoza 2008 Sunday Jonathan Nossiter 1997 Tehran Bedoune Mojavez Sepideh Farsi 2009 Iran Yella All Christian Petzold 2007
Here And Away The following films were screened in the Here And Away section: