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LOCARNO 2017 Official Selection

The Locarno Film Festival announces the rich programme of its 70th edition

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- Proud of a trajectory that has led it to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year, the Locarno Film Festival (2-12 August) is reinventing itself with a new nerve centre: the PalaCinema

The Locarno Film Festival announces the rich programme of its 70th edition
Freedom by Jan Speckenbach

Although it is proud of its trajectory, which has allowed it to stand the test of time in spite of changing trends and people (presidents, directors, etc.), the Locarno Film Festival is aware of the importance of innovation. After years of waiting, it will therefore launch its impressive PalaCinema this year, equipped with three theatres that can see 800 people in total. A wind of change accompanied by the restoration of the legendary EX Rex cinema, renamed the GranRex Auditorium Leopard Club. 

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Enriching these tempting offerings, this year there will be a world-class line-up of guests, including legendary French director Jean-Marie Straub (who will receive the Honorary Career Achievement Leopard), Olivier Assayas (president of the International Competition jury), Natassja Kinski (guest of honour for the Jacques Tourneur retrospective), Adrien Brody (Leopard Club Award), and Mathieu Kassovitz (Moët&Chandon Excellence Award).

17 films have been selected for the International Competition, including no fewer than 11 European works (two of which are co-productions). The themes being broached this year are as varied as they are personal: from La Telenovela errante by Raúl Ruiz and Valéria Sarmiento, a film shot in 1990 which is only being released now almost 30 years later, to A Skin So Soft [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Denis Côté
film profile
]
 (a co-production between Canada and Switzerland) by Denis Côté, which traces out the trajectory of two bodybuilders. As already mentioned, there are lots of European films in the running, taking us on a journey from France (including the highly-anticipated Madame Hyde [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Serge Bozon
film profile
]
 by Serge Bozon), to Germany (Freedom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jan Speckenbach
film profile
]
by Jan Speckenbach), via Italy (The Asteroids [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Germano Maccioni
film profile
]
 by Germano Maccioni) and Romania (Charleston [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrei Creţulescu
film profile
]
by Andreï Cretulescu), and Denmark (Winter Brothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elliott Crosset Hove
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile
]
 by Hlynur Pálmason). This year there are two Swiss films in the running: Goliath [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dominik Locher
film profile
]
by Dominik Locher and the above-mentioned A Skin So Soft (co-produced by Canada).

Two Swiss films will also have the honour of being screened in Piazza Grande (read news), without forgetting the Panorama Suisse section, which proposes the best Swiss films from the last year. Last but not least, not to be missed is the latest film by the “enfant terrible” of Swiss theatre Milo RauThe Congo Tribunal [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, which will be screened in its world premiere at Critics’ Week.

International Competition

Good Luck [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Ben Russell (France/Germany)
La telenovela errante – Raúl RuizValéria Sarmiento (Chile)
Lucky – John Carroll Lynch (United States)
Madame Hyde [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Serge Bozon
film profile
]
 – Serge Bozon (France/Belgium)
Mrs. Fang [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Wang Bing (France/China/Germany)
Dragonfly Eyes – Xu Bing (China/United States)
A Skin So Soft [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Denis Côté
film profile
]
 – Denis Côté (Canada/Switzerland)
Winter Brothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elliott Crosset Hove
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile
]
 – Hlynur Pálmason (Denmark/Iceland)
Duty [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Annemarie Jacir (Palestine/France/Colombia/Norway/Qatar/United Arab Emirates)
9 Fingers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: FJ Ossang
film profile
]
 – FJ. Ossang (France)
Good Manners [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Juliana RojasMarco Dutra (Brazil/France)
Charleston [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrei Creţulescu
film profile
]
– Andreï Cretulescu (Romania/France)
Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? – Travis Wilkerson (United States)
En el séptimo día – Jim MacKay (United States)
Freedom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jan Speckenbach
film profile
]
– Jan Speckenbach (Germany/Slovakia)
Gemini – Aaron Katz (United States)
The Asteroids [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Germano Maccioni
film profile
]
– Germano Maccioni (Italy)
Goliath [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dominik Locher
film profile
]
Dominik Locher (Switzerland)

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(Translated from Italian)

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