The top winner at the 60th Locarno Film Festival, which came to a close this past Saturday, Aug. 11, was Masahiro Kobayashi's Ai No Yokan / The Rebirth, a stark drama with little dialogue that, as per Derek Elley in Variety, had viewers "streaming out during its public screening." (Elley takes a rather negative view of the "arty" Locarno festival in his article; a more balanced view — by Swiss film writer Gino Buscaglia — can be found at Swissinfo.)
The special jury prize, "for a work that promotes understanding between peoples and cultures," went to Memories, which consists of three digital video shorts commissioned by South Korea's Jeonju Digital Project. Pedro Costa, Harun Farockis, and Eugène Green directed.
Philippe Ramos won the best director trophy for Captain Achab (above), a reinterpretation of Herman Melville's Moby Dick. The film also won the Fipresci (International Critics Association) award.
The best actor award was shared by veteran Michel Piccoli, who plays a lonely old man in the throes of death in Sous les toits de Paris / Under the Roofs of Paris, and Michele Venitucci, who plays a fighter in Fuori dalle corde (the English translation would be something like "Outside the Ring").
Piccoli also took home a career award, and so did veteran Carmen Maura, while Hou Hsiao-hsien received the Leopard of Honor.
Marián Álvarez won the best actress prize for her role in the tragic love story Lo Mejor de mí / The Best of Me.
Frank Oz's black comedy Death at a Funeral, starring Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes, received the Audience Award for best film.
The international competition jury was headed by Irène Jacob. Nineteen films were in competition for the Golden Leopard.
2007 Locarno Film Festival winners
2006 Locarno Film Festival winners
Swiss Film Awards – 2006 Winners
Sarajevo Film Festival 2006 Awards