The 51st Locarno Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 August 1998 in Locarno, Switzerland. There were 11 first or second features in competition out of 20 total. The opening film of the festival was Mulan directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. It was screened on the Piazza Grande, the 7,000 seat open-air theater. The Piazza Grand also featured the international premiere of Small Soldiers directed by Joe Dante, who was awarded the Leopard of Honour for cinematic achievement in his career.
The growing importance of the Piazza Grande screens to big distributors was exemplified by the success of last years The Full Monty, which won last year Audience award. This year My Name Is Joe directed by Ken Loach won the Audience award.
During the opening of the festival, there was a public fight between the festival board, including festival president Raimondo Rezzonico, and festival director Marco Mueller. Mueller demanded more control over the budget and a three-year contract or he would resign. Some of Mueller's budgetary demands were to add AC to theaters and maintain the four languages of translation for films. However, another issue with organizers was the festival's shift towards Hollywood blockbusters under Mueller's tenure as director. Mueller had technically resigned in October, before the start of the festival, but had agreed to stay on until the end of festival. On the second to last day of the festival the jury issued an open-letter in support of Mueller.
Other problems at the festival included the theft of a large replica giant statue of the Golden Leopard and the disappearance of jury member Goran Bregovic who left the festival without informing anyone and abandoned his jury post.
The Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, was awarded to Mr. Zhao directed by Lü Yue. The director Lü Yue, a cinematographer on many Zhang Yimou films, brought his own film to the festival without permission from the Chinese government.
Official Jury Robert Kramer, director, Jury head Irene Bignardi, cinema critic Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Italian-French actress Davide Ferraro, Italian filmmaker Goran Bregovic, Bosnian music composer (Left the festival early and did not vote) Jaqueline Veuve, Swiss director Two more member, was a reportedly eight person jury.
Official Sections
The following films were screened in these sections:
Piazza Grande
The following films were screened in the Piazza Grande section: English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryHalloween H20: 20 Years Later Steve Miner USA Dr. Akagi Kanzo Sensei Shōhei Imamura Japan Life Is Beautiful La Vita È Bella Roberto Benigni ItaliaMegacities Michael Glawogger Austria, SwitzerlandMulan Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook USAMy Name Is Joe Ken Loach Great Britain The Dust of Naples Polvere Di Napoli Antonio Capuano ItaliaSmall Soldiers Joe Dante USAThe Big Hit Kirk Wong USAThere's Something About Mary Farrelly brothers USA
International Competition
The following films were screened in International Competition:
Highlighted title indicates Golden Leopard winner: Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country 23 Hans-Christian Schmid 1998 Germany Arack El-Balah El-Calculated Liquor Radwan El-Kashef 1998 Egypt Beshkempir Aktan Abdikalikov 1998 Kyrgyzstan, France Dieu Seul Me Voit (Versailles-Chantiers) God Alone Sees Me (Versailles-Chantiers) Bruno Podalydès 1998 France F. Est Un Salaud F. is a Bastard Marcel Gisler 1998 Switzerland, France Fette Welt Fat World Jan Schuette 1998 Germany Hors Jeu Out of Game Karim Dridi 1998 France Ikinai Suicide Bus Hiroshi Shimizu 1998 Japan Kurz Und Schmerzlos Short and Painless Fatih Akin 1998 Germany L'Arbre De Les Cireres The Cherry Tree Marc Recha 1998 Spain L'Estate Di Davide Davide's Summer Carlo Mazzacurati 1997 Italia Le Monde A L'Envers The World Upside Down Rolando Colla Switzerland, France Luminous Motion Bette Gordon 1998 USA Meia Noite Midnight Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas 1998 Brazil, France Raghs-E-Khak Dance of Dust Abolfazl Jalili 1998 Iran Sombre Philippe Grandrieux 1997 France Titanic Town Roger Michell 1998 Great Britain, Ireland Tulennielijä Firefighter Pirjo Honkasalo 1998 Finland Vremya Tantsora The Time of the Dancer Vadim Abdrashitov 1997 Russia Zhao Xiansheng Mr. Zhao Yue Lü 1998 China,Hongkong
Filmmakers of the Present The following films were screened in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente, also known as the Filmmakers of the Present Competition:
Filmmakers of the Present - Out of Competition {| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" |- ! Original Title ! English Title ! Director(s) ! Year ! Production Country |- | Alger/Beyrouth, Pour Memoire | Algiers/Beirut, for Memory | Merzak Allouache | 1998 | France, Lebanon |- | Appunti, Fuori Di Me | Notes, Outside of Me | Gianni Zanasi | 1998 | Italia |- | Astromboli | Astrombol | Marco Alessi | 1998 | Italia |- | colspan="2" | Butcher'S Hook | Simon Pummell | 1996 | Great Britain |- | C'Ero Anch'Io - Frammenti Di Lotte Di Strada | I Was There Too - Fragments of Street Struggles | Silvano Agosti | 1998 | Italia |- | colspan="2" | Case | Rodolfo Bisatti | 1997 | Italia |- | colspan="2" | Evolution | Simon Pummell | 1995 | Great Britain |- | colspan="2" | Georges De La Tour | Alain Cavalier | 1997 | France |- | Giamaica | Jamaica | Luigi Faccini | 1998 | Italia |- | colspan="2" | Heartache | Simon Pummell | 1995 | Great Britain |- | Il Cielo Della Luna | The Sky of the Moon | Massimo Fagioli | 1998 | Italia |- | In Cerca Della Poesia: Tracce E Indizi | Looking for Poetry: Traces and Clues | Giuseppe Bertolucci | | Italia |- | Interferenze | Interference | Cesar Augusto Meneghetti, Elisabetta Pandimiglio | 1998 | Italia |- | Io Non Ho La Testa | I Don't Have My Head | Michele Lanubile | 1998 | Italia |- | La Finale | The Final | Patricia Mazuy | 1997 | France |- | Lavorare Stanca | Work Tired | Wilma Labate | 1997 | Italia |- | Légyfogo | Fly | Árpád Sopsits | 1998 | Hungary |- | Madresse Y Ke Bad Bord | A School Carried Away by the Wind | Mohsen Makhmalbaf | 1997 | Iran |- | Mes Entretiens Filmés - Chapitre 2 | My Filmed Interviews - Chapter 2 | Boris Lehman | 1998 |Belgium |- | Mes Entretiens Filmés - Chapitres 1 & 2 | My Filmed Interviews - Chapters 1 & 2 | Boris Lehman |1998 | Belgium |- | Pas Vu Pas Pris | Not Seen not Taken | Pierre Carles | 1997 | France |- | Petites | Small | Noémie Lvovsky | 1997 | France |- | Povinnost| Obligation | Alexander Sokurov | 1998 | Russia |- | colspan="2" | Prometheus | Tony Harrison | 1998 | Great Britain |- | Quand La Nuit Se Fait Tango | When Night is Tango | Kris Carlier, Boris Lehman | 1998 | Belgium |- | colspan="2" | Ray Gun Fun | Simon Pummell | 1998 | Great Britain |- | colspan="2" | Riding The Tiger | Sze Wing Leong, Po Chih Leong | 1998 | Hong Kong, China |- | colspan="2" | Rose Red | Simon Pummell | 1994 | Great Britain |- | Say Kom Sa | Say Com | Robert Kramer | 1998 | France |- | colspan="2" | Secret Joy Of Falling Angels | Simon Pummell | 1991 | Great Britain |- | Sib | Light | Samira Makhmalbaf | 1998 | Iran |- | colspan="2" | Temptations Of Sainthood | Simon Pummell | 1993 | Great Britain |- | colspan="2" | The Falconer | Chris Petit, Iain Sinclair | 1998 | Great Britain |- | Tre Storie | Three Stories | Piergiorgio Gay, Roberto San Pietro | 1997 | Italia |- | Trent'Anni Di Oblio | Thirty Years of Oblivion | Silvano Agosti | 1998 | Italia |- | colspan="2" | Trio | Michèle Larue | 1998 | France |- | Un Siecle Decrivains. Thomas Bernhard | | Jean-Pierre Limosin | 1998 | France |- | colspan="2" | X2000 | François Ozon | 1997 | France |- | Yek Etefagh E Sadeh | Yephagha Etefrent Edly | Sohrab Shahid-Saless | 1973 | Iran
Leopards of Tomorrow The following films were screened in the Leopards of Tomorrow (Pardi di Domani) section: Leopards of Tomorrow (Pardi di Domani) Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country Amok Claudius Gentinetta 1997 Switzerland Cross-Roads 1998 Switzerland Der Filmrestaurator The Film Restorer Adrian Remund 1995 Switzerland Gruezi Jonas Raeber 1995 Switzerland Herr Kule'S Abenteuer In Arkadien Mr. Kule's Adventure in Arcadia Rolf Baechler 1998 Switzerland La Course À L'Abime Abime Race Georges Schwizgebel 1991 Switzerland La Defoule The Deflection Séverine Leibundgut 1995 Switzerland Lebenshunger Hunger for Life Isabelle Favez 1993 Switzerland Play Again Benjamin Kempf 1997 Switzerland Roarsch Daniel Young 1998 Switzerland, Hungary Sabbat Gisèle et Ernest Ansorge, Gisèle et Ernest Ansorge 1991 Switzerland Son Jour À Elle Her Day Frédéric Mermoud 1998 Switzerland Une Bien Brave Bête A Good Stupid Beast Antoine Guex 1997 Switzerland Vision Kilian Dellers 1995 SwitzerlandFree Cinema Momma Don't Allow Karel Reisz, Tony Richardson 1956 Great Britain Nice Time Claude Goretta, Alain Tanner 1957 Great Britain O Dreamland Lindsay Anderson 1953 Great BritainSpecial Programs - Cuisine N. 1 Der Fahnenschwinger The Flag Wing Mike Van Audenhove 1991 Switzerland Halleluja Hallelujah Beatrice Jaeggi 1995 Switzerland Happy End Peter Luthi 1995 Switzerland Plem Plem Trial with a Trial Hans-Jakob Fehr, Thomas Frei 1998 Switzerland Tony Piniel Simon 1996 Switzerland
Switzerland Swiss CompetitionOriginal titleEnglish titleDirector(s)YearProduction country A Nedjad Frédéric Choffat 1998 Switzerland Contrecoup Backlash Pascal Magnin 1997 Switzerland Derniers Petales D'Une Marguerite Last Petals of a Daisy Daniel Duqué 1998 Switzerland Des Heures Sans Sommeil Sleeping Hours Ursula Meier 1998 Switzerland, Belgium Hai Two Tobias Ineichen 1998 Switzerland Hell For Leather Dominik Scherrer 1998 Switzerland, Great Britain Hotel Belgrad Hotel Belgrade Andrea Štaka 1998 Switzerland L'Heure De L'Etoile Star Hour Pilar Anguita-Mackay 1998 Switzerland Le Reflet Dans L'Oeil Du Poisson Mort The Reflection in the Eye of Dead Fish Lewis Häusler 1997 Switzerland Pastry, Pain & Politics Stina Werenfels 1998 Switzerland Pourquoi C'Est Toujours Les Trains Qui Partent Et Jamais Les Gares? Why is it Always the Trains that Leave and Never Stations? Laurent Nègre 1998 Switzerland Schlorp Slope Aiza Bley 1997 Switzerland, Latvia Turisti Tourists Robert Ralston 1998 Switzerland, Romania
Italy Italian CompetitionOriginal titleEnglish titleDirector(s)YearProduction country Abc: The Alphabetic Tribe Susanna Schoenberg 1998 Italia Ambiguo Ambiguous Fausto Pisani 1998 Italia Block And Tackle Andrea Serafini 1998 Italia Celebrazione Celebration Monica Petracci 1998 Italia Dolce Stil Novo Dolce Style New Giovanni Maderna 1998 Italia Dove Si Guarda C'È Quello Che Siamo Where you Look There is What We are Marina Spada 1998 Italia Glamour Express - Le Plaisir Du Cinema Glamor Express - The Pleasure of the Cinema Max Croci 1997 Italia Gymnopedie GETOPOPDIE Alessandro Borrelli 1997 Italia I 36 Colpi The 36 Shots Fabio Scamoni 1997 Italia I Paladini Della Santa Provvidenza The Paladins of the Holy Providence Gianluca Sodaro 1997 Italia Incantesimo Napoletano Neapolitan Spell Paolo Genovese, Luca Miniero 1998 Italia La Cena Informale The Informal Dinner Salvo Cuccia 1998 Italia Le Crur The Crur Laura Muscardin 1998 Italia Leonard Street Francesco Apolloni 1997 Italia Martelli Hammers Roberto Naccari 1997 Italia Mosche Bianche White Flies Vincenzo Mancuso 1997 Italia Polifemo Polyphemus Alfredo Santucci 1998 Italia Rose Luigi Abramo, Davide Bertoni 1998 Italia Swing Heil Mara Chiaretti 1997 Italia Trucco & Strucco Trucco & Lard Angelo Caligaris 1997 Italia Un Accento Perfetto A Perfect Accent Nicola Sornaga 1998 Italia Uomini E Lupi Men and Wolves Daniele Vicari 1998 Italia Venceremos We will Win Giovanni Stefano Ghidini, Sergio Pappalettera 1997 Italia
Great Britain