The major documentary thrust of the 76th Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland) is the independent Semaine de la critique programme, founded in 1990 and this year presenting seven new documentaries, five of which are world premieres.
Three prizes are up for grabs. The Grand Prix Semaine de la critique is valued at 5000 CHF. The Premio Zonta Club Locarno is worth 2000 CHF and awarded to a film that “best illustrates particular aspects of the female condition in the world,” while the Marco Zucchi Award (2000 CHF) is given to “the most innovative film in terms of cinematic aesthetics and documentary language.”
The Semaine de la critique is an independent section, organised by Swiss Association of Film Journalists, in cooperation with the director and organisers of the Locarno Film Festival, which runs August 2-12.
The sidebar section was launched in 1990. “Since then it has reviewed state of the art documentary film-making annually with a selection of works chosen for their specific expressive value or essence,” write organisers.
To date, a total of 223 films have been screened, with an enviable rollcall of directors which includes Erroll Morris, Fredi M. Murer, Ulrich Seidl, Robert Franck, Nicolas Philibert, Richard Dindo, Abbas Kiarostami, Zhang Yuan, Gianfranco Rosi, Peter Mettler, Claire Simon, Davide Ferrario, Sébastien Lifshitz, Thomas Riedelsheimer, Samir, Eryk Rocha, Peter Liechti, Sabine Gisiger, José Luis Valle, Stefan Haupt, Heidi Specogna, Marcel Gisler, Rok Biček and Milo Rau, among others.
SEMAINE DE LA CRITIQUE SELECTION 2023
Archiv der Zukunft (Archive of the Future) by Joerg Burger, Austria 2023, 92′. International premiere. Synopsis: Portrait of the Natural History Museum of Vienna: as a stronghold of academic research, this institution is taking up the challenge of debating the relationship between humankind and the environment.
Les Premiers Jours (The First Days) by Stéphane Breton, France, 2023, 77’. World premiere. Synopsis: Ocean rumble desert shacks heat coast dryness stones seaweed money wine rust cars sky music dogs Chile fish wind sun reefs noise silence noise silence noise silence noise silence noise silence noise
Les Soeurs Pathan (The Pathan Sisters) by Eléonore Boissinot, France, 2023, 76′. World premiere. Synopsis: Gujarat, India. Survivors of the 2002 anti-Muslim massacres, Sofia and Suzain, are coming of age.
Monogamia by Ohad Milstein, Israel, 2023, 73′. World premiere. Synopsis: Can intimacy exhaustion in a monogamous marriage be avoided? Love is no longer present in my parents’ relationship, echoing my own marriage. The question arises if there is a way to keep the spark.
Prisoners of Fate by Mehdi Sahebi, Switzerland, 2023, 100′. World premiere. Synopsis: Living in exile after having fled their homelands, the protagonists struggle to overcome their traumas. In times of despair they feel like prisoners of fate, but friendship and humour give them hope.
Vista Mare by Julia Gutweniger, Florian Kofler, Austria/Italy, 2023, 80′. World premiere. Synopsis: Vista Mare: a poetic and surrealist documentary revealing the hidden labor behind ‘a holiday in the sun’ in Italy’s Northern Adriatic coastal resorts.
Wanha Markku (Under Construction) by Markus Toivo, Finland, 2023, 60′. International premiere. Synopsis: An estranged father and son are building a gate in front of their unfinished house while also trying to bridge the generational gap between them.
