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Golden Leopard Of Locarno77 Took A Leap To Lithuania



© Locarno Film Festival

The 77th edition of Locarno Film Festival ended with the triumph of Lithuanian filmmakers. The Grand Prize of the festival - Pardo d'Oro (Godeln Leopard) - was handed to Akiplėša (Toxic) by a young Lithuanian director Saulė Bliuvaitė. Meanwhile Pardo for Best Direction went to Laurynas Bareiša for Seses (Drowning Dry), and one of two Best Performance Awards was given to Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevičius for Seses (Drowning Dry).


Saulė Bliuvaitė's Akiplėša (Toxic) is an incisive portrayal of teenage girls and the crushing expectations imposed upon them. Dreaming of escape from the bleakness of their industrial hometown, two 13-year-olds, Marija and Kristina, form a unique bond at a local modeling school, where the promise of a better life pushes girls to violate their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.


As told by Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival: “The victory of newcomer Saulė Bliuvaitė, whose Akiplėša won the Pardo d’Oro and the Swatch First Feature Award, confirms the Locarno Film Festival's ability to identify the most innovative talents in the business.”


The second Best Performance Award went to Kim Minhee, star of Hong Sangsoo’s Suyoocheon (By The Stream). Kurdwin Ayub’s Mond won the Special Jury Prize.


The full list of winners:


Concorso Internazionale

Pardo d’Oro - Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno AKIPLĖŠA (TOXIC) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania 

Special Jury Prize - Cities of Ascona and Losone MOND by Kurdwin Ayub, Austria 

Pardo for Best Direction - City and Region of Locarno to Laurynas Bareiša for SESES (DROWNING DRY), Lithuania/Latvia 

Pardo for Best Performance to Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, Paulius Markevičius for SESES (DROWNING DRY) by Laurynas Bareiša, Lithuania/Latvia 

Pardo for Best Performance to Kim Minhee for SUYOOCHEON (BY THE STREAM) by Hong Sangsoo, South Korea 

Special Mentions 

QING CHUN (KU) (YOUTH (HARD TIMES)) by WANG Bing, France/Luxembourg/Netherlands 

SALVE MARIA by Mar Coll, Spain


Concorso Cineasti del Presente

Pardo d’Oro - Concorso Cineasti del Presente HOLY ELECTRICITY by Tato Kotetishvili, Georgia/Netherlands 

Best Emerging Director Award - City and Region of Locarno to Denise Fernandes for HANAMI, Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde 

Special Jury Prize CINÉ+ KOUTÉ VWA (LISTEN TO THE VOICES) by Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium/France/French Guiana 

Pardo for Best Performance to Callie Hernandez for INVENTION by Courtney Stephens, USA 

Pardo for Best Performance to Anna Mészöly for FEKETE PONT (LESSON LEARNED) by Bálint Szimler, Hungary 

Special Mentions 

FEKETE PONT (LESSON LEARNED) by Bálint Szimler, Hungary 

KADA JE ZAZVONIO TELEFON (WHEN THE PHONE RANG) by Iva Radivojević, Serbia/USA 


Pardi di Domani

Concorso Corti d’Autore 

Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film UPSHOT by Maha Haj, Palestine/Italy/France 

Special Mention GWE-IN ESI JEONGCHE (THE MASKED MONSTER) by Syeyoung Park, South Korea 

Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate - European Film Awards LA FILLE QUI EXPLOSE by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel, France 

 

Concorso Internazionale 

Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film WASHHH by Mickey Lai, Malaysia/Ireland 

Pardino d’Argento SRG SSR for the International Competition GIMN CHUME (HYMN OF THE PLAGUE) by Ataka51, Germany/Russia 

Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award - BONALUMI Engineering QUE TE VAYA BONITO, RICO by Joel Alfonso Vargas, United Kingdom/USA 

Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award THE FORM by Melika Pazouki, Iran 

Special Mention 

FREAK by Claire Barnett, USA 

 

Concorso Nazionale 

Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for the Best Swiss Short Film SANS VOIX by Samuel Patthey, Switzerland 

Pardino d’Argento Swiss Life for the National Competition BETTER NOT KILL THE GROOVE by Jonathan Leggett, Switzerland 

Best Swiss Newcomer Award to Gabriel Grosclaude for LUX CARNE, Switzerland 

Special Mention PROGRESS MINING by Gabriel Böhmer, United Kingdom/Switzerland 


First Feature

Swatch First Feature Award AKIPLĖŠA (TOXIC) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania 

MUBI Award - Debut Feature GREEN LINE by Sylvie Ballyot, France/Lebanon/Qatar 

Special Mentions 

HANAMI by Denise Fernandes, Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde 

KOUTÉ VWA (LISTEN TO THE VOICES) by Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium/France/French Guiana 


Pardo Verde

supported by the Ente Regionale per lo Sviluppo del Locarnese e Vallemaggia 

Pardo Verde AGORA by Ala Eddine Slim, Tunisia/France/Saudi Arabia/Qatar 

Special Mentions 

DER FLECK by Willy Hans, Germany/Switzerland 

REVOLVING ROUNDS by Johann Lurf and Christina Jauernik, Austria 


The 78th Locarno Film Festival will take place from 6 to 16 August 2025. 


Source: press release

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