Locarno President Giona A. Nazzaro on ‘Bullet Train’ “Razzle Dazzle”, Interfestival Competition, Breakthrough Directors, and Why It Makes Sense for Piazza Grande’s Awards Season Launch

Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, is gearing up for the 75th anniversary of the lakeside event from August 3-13. In his second year in office, he created an eclectic program of experimental and Hollywood films.

David Leitch Action Comedy FAST TRAINThe international festival, starring Brad Pitt, was screened as the opening film in Locarno’s famous Piazza Grande. Pitt will not attend the event, but will receive the Festival Excellence Award alongside lead actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Daisy Edgar Jones, Jason Blum and Matt Dillon.

Among the other films to be screened in the famous open-air venue of the Swiss festival with a capacity of 8,000 people is a film by Laurie Anderson. home of the brave; Main Guto heaven highwayJuliette Binoche as a truck driver who kidnaps a girl; and the drama after Bataclan you won’t hate me By German director Kilian Riedhoff. The festival also returns with a full industry program, including annual StepIn sessions and masterclasses with Christine Vachon and Lucius Barr.

Nazzaro spoke to Deadline about his distinctive programming style, mix of traditional and arthouse, the difficulty of producing films from major studios, and his desire to be part of the Locarno awards season conversation.

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TERM: This is your second year as artistic director and your first “proper” festival post-Covid. How did you find the event group??

Giona A. Ash: We were in a rush as we decided to open a place last year. Then the situation changed, which meant we could add more theaters. We had to adapt to the situation instantly. We knew we could start this year with the success of last year’s edition. I know it sounds a little strange to hear myself talk about success, but I feel like the previous edition was a great success. To give a very simple example, I got the Blu-ray version yesterday. Holy Spirit, who played in the competition. With the success of some films, we succeeded in doing what we set out to bring the festival closer to those who did not know.

TERM: Will it be at full capacity?

ash: Yes definitely. We will be at full strength and implement all covid safety measures.

Deadline: High Speed ​​Train. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this movie and it has a star-studded cast, including Brad Pitt. How did you get the title of Locarno?

ash: I’m a very passionate movie buff, so I look in all directions. It’s a fantastic, wild, and humorous action movie, but if you pay attention, it’s also an experiment in how to deconstruct the traditional scenario with a non-violent anti-hero.

TERM: Locarno falls between Cannes and Venice. In recent years Venice has become a starting point for award-winning season films. Has that made it even harder to win awards from major studios?

ash: Frankly, we would love to be a part of this conversation. Let’s be completely clear. We’re trying to convince some studios that we can do it in an interesting way, but I have to say we have no problem talking to the big studios. In the end, it all comes down to strategies and we are more than happy to work together when these are appropriate. FAST TRAIN like together where the crabs sing [also playing on the Piazza Grande]. So this is a conversation that really interests us, and we hope this conversation will bear fruit in the years to come.

TERM: What is the importance of chatting about the awards at a festival like Locarno?

ash: We are a true audience festival, so we don’t just rely on the professional press or extreme moviegoers. If a studio wants to know if a movie is working, then the place they can really test is the arena, because it’s the paying public that wants to be there. So I think it would be very interesting, especially for certain types of movies.

TERM: There is a lot of talk about the rivalry between festivals in Europe and North America. Do you see yourself competing with other festivals?

ash: For a festival like Locarno, it is important to have films that have not been shown elsewhere. This is because we want people to come to Locarno and discover new movies. When people say I should promote movies elsewhere, they often have different reasons and it’s not all for art. I firmly believe in author festivals.

TERM: Locarno has long been seen as a place where art and experimental cinema can be found. Lori Anderson was also awarded this year. To what extent do you see Locarno as an arts festival?

ash: For me, cinema is art, so it doesn’t seem like a contradiction to commemorate Laurie Anderson, who has always worked with the mythology of cinema, broken it and created something brand new where we open it. FAST TRAIN Or celebrate the legacy of Douglas Circus [who is the subject of Locarno’s retrospective program this year] Or celebrate new filmmakers. So I would say yes, Locarno is an art film festival, but we literally celebrate the art of cinema in all its forms. It’s not like a tag tag that directs you to a specific location where you can’t move.

TERM: Racial and gender diversity is a very important issue in our industry. This year, 22 women’s films were shot at the festival. It is about 36%. What do you think of the Locarno recording?in terms of d Developing diversity?

ash: This is really the real question we face as an industry because this industry is clearly a mirror of everything that works or doesn’t work in society. This is why there is so much focus on the film industry. Although we received fewer female-directed films this year compared to last year, I think we are better than last year in terms of gender balance. So I am very happy that we are around 40 percent in the three main competitions. And, for example, we also have a Canadian movie. Before I change my mind which qualifies as non-binary.

TERM: This year’s selection features many first-time young filmmakers. Who should the audience look at?

ash: If I were a young cinephile who came to Locarno to explore cinema, I would be careful not to miss any of the 15 films for the competing cinematographers. I know this is rhetorical, but here lies the future of the art form. We make great efforts to provide the most diverse filmmakers. this is a Moroccan movie parts of the sky or brazilian it was a night in america Or a Canadian coming-of-age movie Before I change my mind – An Amblin movie from the Spielberg era with an unusual LGBTQ-plus twist – or a similar Australian movie gasoline It’s reminiscent of some of the best ideas of the Australian wave of the early 1980s. Of course I wouldn’t miss those movies.