Locarno 2021 Preview: Auteur Cinema Meets Genre-Bending Oeuvres

The largest Swiss film festival returns to standard form after its special 2020 For the Future of Films edition. The festival's new artistic director, Giona A. Nazzaro, is heading his first lineup, ripe with genre fare and auteur cinema from veteran filmmakers, as well as up-and-coming directors. Nazzaro and his team are juggling an audience-friendly approach without losing the stimulating edge of visionary works.

The festival will open with an Italian-set thriller by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, Beckett, starring John David Washington, Alicia Vikander, and Vicky Krieps (to be released by Netflix), as well as U.S. indie thriller Ida Red, shot in Oklahoma during the pandemic by John Swab. Other U.S. titles include Aretha Franklin biopic Respect and sci-fi action comedy Free Guy, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds.

After Siberia, Abel Ferrara will premiere a political thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Zeros and Ones, that will see the Vatican "blown up into the night sky", while the international competition, with a jury led by Eliza Hittman, will also offer the Ulrich Seidl-produced Luzifer, an exorcist drama revolving around a Kaspar Hauser-like protagonist; a follow-up to Bertrand Mandico's The Wild Boys, After Blue, set on a planet where only women can survive; and a surreal sci-fi film about UFO-logy association and a missing girl, The Sacred Spirit by Chema García Ibarra. Furthermore, Piazza Grande, the largest European open-air cinema will welcome Gaspar Noé drama Vortex that is going to be unveiled at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

The 74th edition of the Locarno Film Festival unspools August 4-14 on-site. Tthe full line-up is available here.

Concorso Internazionale
AFTER BLUE (Paradis Sale) by Bertrand Mandico
France – 2021
World Premiere

AL NAHER (The River) by Ghassan Salhab Lebanon/France/Germany/Qatar – 2021 con Ali Suliman, Yumna Marwan Production: Khamsin Films
World Premiere

ESPÍRITU SAGRADO by Chema García ibarra
Spain/France/Turkey – 2021
World Premiere

GERDA by Natalya Kudryashova
Russia – 2021
World Premiere

I GIGANTI by Bonifacio Angius
Italy – 2021
World Premiere

JIAO MA TANG HUI (A New Old Play) by QIU Jiongjiong
Hong Kong/France – 2021
World Premiere

JUJU STORIES by C.J. “Fiery” Obasi, Abba T. Makama, Michael Omonua
Nigeria/France – 2021
World Premiere

LA PLACE D’UNE AUTRE by Aurélia Georges
France – 2021
World Premiere

LEYNILÖGGA (Cop Secret) by Hannes Þór Halldórsson
Iceland – 2021
World Premiere

LUZIFER by Peter Brunner 21
Austria – 2021
World Premiere

MEDEA by Alexander Zeldovich
Russia – 2021
World Premiere

NEBESA (Heavens Above) by Srdjan Dragojević
Serbia/Germany/North Macedonia/Slovenia/Croatia/Montenegro/Bosnia-Herzegovina – 2021
World Premiere

PETITE SOLANGE by Axelle Ropert
France – 2021
World Premiere

SEPERTI DENDAM, RINDU HARUS DIBAYAR TUNTAS (Vengeance IsMine, All Others Pay Cash) by Edwin Indonesia/Singapore/Germany – 2021 with Marthino Lio, Ladya Cheryl Production: Palari Films
World Premiere

SIS DIES CORRENTS (The Odd-Job Men) by Neus Ballús
Spain – 2021
World Premiere

SOUL OF A BEAST by Lorenz Merz
Switzerland – 2021
World Premiere

ZEROS AND ONES by Abel Ferrara
Italy/Germany/USA – 2021
World Premiere

Concorso Cineasti del Presente
ACTUAL PEOPLE by Kit Zauhar
USA – 2021
World Premiere

AGIA EMI (Holy Emy) by Araceli Lemos
Greece/France/USA – 2021
World Premiere

AMANSA TIAFI (Public Toilet Africa) by Kofi Ofosu-Yeboah
Ghana – 2021
World Premiere

BROTHERHOOD by Francesco Montagner
Czech Republic/Italy – 2021 Production: Nutprodukce
World Premiere

BU YAO ZAI JIAN A, YU HUA TANG (Virgin Blue) by NIU Xiaoyu
China – 2021
World Premiere

IL LEGIONARIO by Hleb Papou
Italy/France – 2021
World Premiere

KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON (Whether the Weather Is Fine) by Carlo Francisco Manatad Philippines/France/Singapore/Indonesia/Germany/Qatar – 2021 with Charo Santos-Concio, Daniel Padilla, Rans Rifol
World Premiere

L’ÉTÉ L’ÉTERNITÉ by Émilie Aussel
France – 2021
World Premiere

MIS HERMANOS SUEÑAN DESPIERTOS by Claudia Huaiquimilla
Chile – 2021
World Premiere

MOSTRO by José Pablo Escamilla
Mexico – 2021
World Premiere

NIEMAND IST BEI DEN KÄLBERN by Sabrina Sarabi
Germany – 2021
World Premiere

SHANKAR’S FAIRIES by Irfana Majumdar
India – 2021
World Premiere

STREAMS by Mehdi Hmili
Tunisia/Luxembourg/France – 2021
World Premiere

WET SAND by Elene Naveriani
Switzerland/Georgia – 2021
World Premiere

ZAHORÍ by Marí Alessandrini
Switzerland/Argentina/Chile/France – 2021
World Premiere