Locarno Film Festival Awards 2006: Das Fräulein wins Golden Leopard, Amber Tamblyn named Best Actress
Winners at the 59th Locarno Film Festival were announced at the Swiss mountain resort on Saturday, Aug. 12.
The mostly Swiss-German co-production Das Fräulein won the Golden Leopard for Best Film. Directed by Andrea Štaka, Das Fräulein tells the story of three women from the former Yugoslavia who have sought a new life in Zurich.
The Jury Prize went to Ryan Fleck’s U.S.-made Half Nelson, which stars Ryan Gosling as a drug-addicted teacher who befriends one of his students, a girl from one of New York City’s rough ghettoes.
Laurent Achard was chosen Best Director for his French drama The Last of the Crazy Ones, a dark tale about a young boy trying to cope with his disintegrating family.
The Best Actor Award was given to Burghart Klaussner for Dito Tsintsadze’s Der Mann von der Botschaft, in which he plays an attaché to the German embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, who befriends a local girl.
Amber Tamblyn was chosen Best Actress for her role as a 16-year-old girl accused of killing her newborn child in Hilary Brougher’s Stephanie Daley.
Below is a partial list of winners.
Locarno Film Festival Awards 2006 (partial list)
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Golden Leopard for Best Film: Das Fräulein (Switzerland | Germany | Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Special Jury Prize (“for a film that best conveys the spirit of communication between people and culture”): Half Nelson (United States)
Best Director: Laurent Achard – The Last of the Crazy Ones / Le Dernier des fous (France | Belgium)
Best Actor: Burghart Klaussner – Der Mann von der Botschaft (Germany)
Best Actress: Amber Tamblyn – Stephanie Daley (United States)
SPECIAL MENTION:
BODY RICE by Hugo Vieira da Silva (Portugal)FILMMAKERS OF THE PRESENT COMPETITION
GOLDEN LEOPARD:
VERFOLGT by Angelina Maccarone, GermanyLEOPARD FOR BEST FIRST FILM:
L’ANNEE SUIVANTE by Isabelle Czajka (France)SPECIAL MENTION:
SO LANGE DU HIER BIST by Stefan Westerwelle (Germany)AUDIENCE AWARD:
DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN / THE LIVES OF OTHERS by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Germany)LEOPARDS OF TOMORROW
LEOPARDS OF TOMORROW – NEW SWISS TALENT
GOLDEN LEOPARD:
NACHTFLATTERN by Carmen StadlerSILVER LEOPARD:
ASCHENBRüDER by Markus Heiniger and Steve WalkerLEOPARDS OF TOMORROW – “EAST OF THE MEDITERRANEAN”
GOLDEN LEOPARD:
BUBACHKI / BUGS by Igor Ivanov (Macedonia)SILVER LEOPARD:
WEST BANK STORY by Ari Sandel (United States)FIPRESCI AWARD:
NAE-CHUNGCHUN-AEGAE-GOHAM / DON’T LOOK BACK by Young- Nam KimECUMENICAL AWARD:
AGUA by Veronica Chen (Argentina | France)International Competition Jury:
Ann Hui – Director – China (President)
Edo Bertoglio – Photographer – Switzerland
Antonio Capuano – Director – Italy
Peter Rommel – Producer – Germany
Nobuhiro Suwa – Director – Japan
“Locarno Film Festival Awards 2006: Das Fräulein” notes
*last modified in April 2026.