The 54th Locarno Film Festival was held from 2 to 12 August 2001 in Locarno, Switzerland. Nineteen films from twelve countries were screened in competition, of which, fifteen were world premieres and nine were directorial debuts. In total, there were 28 world premieres throughout the main three sections of the festival.
The opening film of the festival was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi. The closing film was Moulin Rouge! directed by Baz Luhrmann. The festival also held the world premiere of Peter Bogdanovich's The Cat's Meow and the European premiere of The Devil's Backbone directed by Guillermo del Toro. The Piazza Grande, the 7,000 seat open-air theater, also featured Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes and Lagaan directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, which won the audience award.
The Leopard of Honor was awarded to Chinese director, Chen Kaige. Special Leopards of Honor were also awarded to two organizations: the Sundance Film Institute and film journal Cahiers du Cinéma. The festival also featured a retrospective called "Out of the Shadows: Asians in American Cinema" that featured over 60 films from the silent to modern era. In the context of festivals, the film magazine Cineaste called it "the first ever attempt to chronicle the history of Asians in American cinema."
This was Irene Bignardi's first year as the festival director following the departure of Marco Mueller. She was previously the film critic for Italian newspaper La Repubblica. She returned the Piazza Grande to its tradition role only featuring out of competition films and expressed a desire to refocus the Filmmakers of the Present into a cohesive section rather than a "grab bag" of film and video.
There was a fight between jury members this year and the winning films were not chosen unanimously. Jurors Luara Morante, and Emilie Deluze, the French director, stormed out in protest during the award press conference. However, this did not effect prizes being awarded.
The Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, was awarded to Off to the Revolution by a 2CV directed by Maurizio Sciarra. It was the first Italian film to win at the festival in over 20 years.
Official Jury Janet Maslin, America film critic for the New York Times, Jury head Luara Morante, Italian actress Emilie Deluze, French director Debra Winger, American actress Kerry Fox, New Zealand actress Zoe Jenny, Swiss writer Ferzan Ozpetek, Italian director Antonio Skarmeta, Chilean writer Olivia Stewart, British producer Official Sections 2001
The following films were screened in these sections: Piazza Grande English Title Original Title Director(s) Year Production Country Life on a String Bian Zou Bian Chang Chen Kaige 1991 ChinaBridget Jones's Diary Sharon Maguire 2001 Great Britain The Journey to Kafiristan Die Reise Nach Kafiristan Fosco Dubini, Donatello Dubini 2000 Switzerland, Germany The Devil's Backbone El Espinazo Del Diablo Guillermo del Toro 2001 Spain, MexicoFinal Fantasy: The Spirits Within Hironobu Sakaguchi 2001 USALagaan Ashutosh Gowariker 2001 IndiaMiller's Crossing Joel Coen 1990 USAMostly Martha Sandra Nettelbeck 2000 GermanyMoulin Rouge Baz Luhrmann 2001 AustraliaPlanet of the Apes Tim Burton 2001 USA Broken Silence Silencio Roto Montxo Armendáriz 2001 SpainThe Cat's Meow Peter Bogdanovich 2001 Great Britain, GermanyThe Deep End Scott McGehee and David Siegel 2001 USAThe Emperor's New Clothes Alan Taylor 2001 ItaliaThe Score Frank Oz 2001 USA Children's Play Un Jeu D Enfants Laurent Tuel 2001 France
International Competition English Title Original Title Director(s) Year Production Country As a Man L'afrance Alain Gomis 2001 France Baby Boy John Singleton 2001 USA Brainstorm Bicho de 7 Cabeças Laís Bodanzky 2000 Brazil, Italy Conjugation 动词变位 Emily Tang 2001 Hong Kong Delbaran 少年と砂漠のカフェ Abolfazl Jalili 2001 Japan, Iran Dervis Alberto Rondalli 2001 Italy Guardians of the Earth Mankolangal Subrahmanian Santakumar 2000 India Happiness Is A Warm Gun Thomas Imbach 2001 Switzerland, Germany How I Killed My Father Comment j'ai tué mon père Anne Fontaine 2001 France, Spain I'll Wait on You Hand and Foot Ich Werde Dich Auf Händen Tragen Iain Dilthey 2000 Germany It's Not Right Non è giusto Antonietta De Lillo 2000 Italy The Lawless Heart Tom Hunsinger, Neil Hunter 2001 England Love the Hard Way Peter Sehr 2001 USA, Germany The Milk of Human Kindness Le Lait de la tendresse humaine Dominique Cabrera 2001 France Miss Wonton Meng Ong 2001 USA Nabi 나비 Moon Seung-Wook 2001 South Korea Off to the Revolution by a 2CV Alla rivoluzione sulla due cavalli Maurizio Sciarra 2001 Italy Scheherazade Riccardo Signorell 2001 Switzerland Tell Me a Story Raconte Guillaume Malandrin 2000 Belgium With all My Love Avec Tout Mon Amour Amalia Escriva 2001 France
Filmmakers of the Present Video Competition - Filmmakers of the Present Filmmakers of the Present - Video CompetitionOriginal titleEnglish titleDirector(s)YearProduction countryAntes De AmanhãSaguenail2001PortugalBonne NouvelleGood NewsVincent Dieutre2001FranceCamera ObscuraRoberto Paci Dalò2001ItaliaCuore Di CaneDog HeartMarco Agostinelli2001ItaliaDie Schöpfer Der EinkaufsweltenThe Creators of the Shopping WorldsHarun Farocki2001GermanyEvita CapitanaAvoid CaptainNicolas Malowicki2000ArgentinaIl Paese Delle RaneThe Country of FrogsAlberto Momo2001ItaliaJazzwomenGabriella Morandi2001ItaliaJilltsiIlyia Sergeev2000RussiaKya Ka Ra BaaWhat is itNaomi Kawase2001JapanLa Strada Nel BoscoThe Road in the WoodsTonino De Bernardi2001ItaliaLa Voce A Te DovutaThe Voice Due to youJacopo Gassman2001ItaliaLast Party 2000Rebecca Chaiklin, Donovan Leitch2000USATokyo Gomi-Onna (Love Cinema Vol.1)Ryūichi Hiroki2000JapanEri Ni Kubiitake (Love Cinema Vol.2)Mitsuhiro Mihara2000JapanTojiru Hi (Love Cinema Vol.3)Isao Yukisada2000JapanHarikomi (Love Cinema Vol.4)Tetsuo Shinohara2000JapanGips (Love Cinema Vol.5)Akihiko Shiota2000JapanVisitor Q (Love Cinema Vol.6)Takashi Miike2000JapanNaikorNeckorePablo Trapero2000ArgentinaNatoMarco Agostinelli2001ItaliaNocní Hovory S MatkouNight Calls with a MotherJan Němec2001Czech RepublicOthello: La Tragedie Et Sa FarceOthello: The Tragedie et Sa FaceElena Hazanov2001SwitzerlandPretty ColorsAmirouche Jesse Alloua2000SwitzerlandReykjavík, Des Elfes Dans La VilleReykjavík, Elves in the CitySólveig Anspach2001FranceShanghai, Mon Amour, Le Notti Di Mian MianShanghai, Mon Amour, the Nights of Mian MianFrancesco Conversano, Nene Grignaffini2001ItaliaThe Fourth DimensionMinh-ha Trinh2001Japan, USAThe Fuccon FamilyYoshimasa Ishibashi2001JapanUnfinished SymphonyBestor Cram, Mike Majoros2001USA Filmmakers of the Present - Out of Competition Filmmakers of the Present - Out of Competition Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country 12 Jean-Pierre Grasset 2001 France, Spain 17 Rue Bleue 17 Blue Rue Chad Chenouga 2001 France A Janela (Marialva Mix) Edgar Pêra 2001 Portugal Black Box Brd Andres Veiel 2001 Germany Cinema De Notre Temps: Aki Kaurismäki Cinema of Our Time: Aki Kaurismäki Guy Girard 2000 France Così È La Vita: Vittorio De Sica So is Life: Vittorio De Sica Sandro Lai 2001 Italia Deja Vu Leave Vu Biju Viswanath 2001 India Die Musik Seid Ihr, Freunde! You are the Music, Friends! Andreas Teuchert 1999 Germany Entre Nous Between Us Serge Lalou 2001 France Glauces: Estudo De Um Rosto Glauces: Study of a Face Joel Pizzini 2001 Brazil Godard A La Tele Godds are Large Alexandra Diaz, Michel Royer 2001 France Hong Kong Cinema Hubert Niogret 2001 France Imago (Jours De Folie) Imago (Days of Madness) Marie Vermillard 2001 France Jean-Marie Straub Und Danièle Huillet Bei Der Arbeit An Einem Film Nach Franz Kafkas Amerika Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet at Work on a Film to Franz Kafkas America Harun Farocki 1983 Germany Kleftis I Pragmatikotita Thief the Reality Antoinetta Angelidi 2001 Greece Lai Man-Wai - Father Of Hong Kong Cinema I'll be There for You Choi Kai-Kwong 2001 Hong Kong, China Le Stade De Wimbledon Mathieu Amalric 2001 France Lian Ai Qiyi Liana IQ I Shya Wing 2001 Hong Kong Made In Hong Kong Giuseppe Baresi 2000 Italia Mein Stern My Star Valeska Grisebach 2001 Austria, Germany Metropolis Rintaro 2001 Japan On The Way Choi Jae Eun 2000 Japan, Korea Operai, Contadini Workers, Peasants Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub 2000 Italia, France Paul Sacher, Portrait Du Mecene En Musicien Paul Sacher, Portrait of the Mechen in Musician Edna Politi 2001 Switzerland Polachromes - Un Taxi Pour Reykjavik Polachromes - A Taxi for Reykjavik Damien Peyret 2001 France Sicilia! Si Gira Sicily! It Turns Jean-Charles Fitoussi 2001 France Siniestro Sinister Ernesto McCausland 2001 Colombia Step By Step Laurent Merlin 2001 France Sur La Longueur D Onde De Michael Snow, Zoom Arriere On the Wavelength of Michael Snow, Rear Zoom Teri Wehn-Damisch 2001 France Utolso Vacsora Az Arabs Szürkenel Last Dinner with Arabs Gray Miklós Jancsó 2000 Hungary
Leopards of Tomorrow Leopards of Tomorrow/ Filmmakers of the Present - Special ProgramOriginal titleEnglish titleDirector(s)YearProduction country Anna Maria & Kurt/ Lisette/ Robert Rhéa Meierhans 2001 Switzerland Cancelli Sull Acqua Gates on Water Peter Del Monte 2001 Switzerland Climax At 2 Laurent Veuve 2001 Switzerland Das Engadiner Wunder The Engadine Miracle Anka Schmid, Tania Stöcklin 2000 Switzerland Einspruch Ii Objection II Rolando Colla 2000 Switzerland Heidi Island Laurence Stajic Yaluner 2001 Switzerland Looking For Rita Andrea Benzoni 2001 Switzerland Vivre Charles Deregnaucourt, Andree Julika Tavares 2000 Switzerland, France Leopards of Tomorrow (Pardi di Domani)