The 57th Locarno Film Festival was held from 4 to 14 August 2004 in Locarno, Switzerland. This year at the festival was noteworthy for its political films and documentaries, including The Hunting of the President and Control Room which juxtaposed media coverage of the Iraq war between American new agencies and Al Jazeera. Journalist Carl Bernstein attended the Control Room screening and participated in the panel discussion that followed. Seventeen films were set to screen on the Piazza Grande, the 7,000 seat open-air theater, but rain forced many showings inside.
The Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, was awarded to the Private directed Saverio Costanzo, which focuses on a Palestinian family whose home is occupied by the Israeli military. Official Jury Rene Burri, Swiss Photographer Sabiha Sumar, Pakistani director Udo Kier, German actor and director Oliver Assayas, French director Yu Lik-Wai, Hon Kong director Tilde Corsi, Italian Producer David Robinson, U.K. film critic Sections
The following films were screened in these sections: Piazza Grande English Title Original Title Director(s) Year Production CountryAll The President's Men Alan J. Pakula 1976 USAAppleseed Shinji Aramaki 2004 Japan Asambhav Rajiv Rai 2004 India Singing Behind Screens Cantando Dietro I Paraventi Ermanno Olmi 2003 Italia The Ninth Day Der Neunte Tag Volker Schlöndorff 2004 Germany, LuxembourgDogora Patrice Leconte 2004 FranceThe Syrian Bride Hacala Hasurit Eran Riklis 2004 Israel, France, Germany King's Game Kongekabale Nikolaj Arcel 2004 Denmark The Girl and the Clouds La Jeune Fille Et Les Nuages Georges Schwizgebel 2000 Switzerland The Rain Children Les Enfants De La PluiePhilippe Leclerc 2003France Misspellings Les Fautes D'Orthographe Jean-Jacques Zilbermann 2004 France Locarno the Ideal City. Vittorio Storaro's Luminist Project Locarno La Città Ideale. Progetto Luministico Di Vittorio Storaro Jan Godav, Paolo Spalluto 2004 SwitzerlandOh Happy Day Hella Joof 2004 Denmark, Great Britain Burn! Queimada Picci Pontecorvo,Gillo Pontecorvo 1970 Italia, USASamsara Pan Nalin 2001 Germany, Italia, France, India Only Human Seres Queridos Teresa De Pelegri, Dominic Harari 2004 Spain, Great Britain, Argentina, PortugalSweet Smell of Success Alexander Mackendrick 1957 USAThe Bourne Supremacy Paul Greengrass 2004 USAThe Football Factory Nick Love 2004 Great Britain, GermanyThe Hunting of the President Nickolas Perry, Harry Thomason 2004 USAThe Notebook Nick Cassavetes 2003 USA
International Competition English Title Original Title Director(s) Year Production CountryAndré Valente Catarina Ruivo 2004 PortugalAntares Spielmann Goetz 2004 AustriaBlack Friday Anurag Kashyap 2004 India Story Undone Dastan Natamam Hassan Yektapanah 2004 Iran, Ireland, Singapour En Garde Ayse Polat 2004 Germany Private MadnessFolie Privée Joachim Lafosse 2004 BelgiumForgiveness Ian Gabriel 2004 South Africa The Buffalo Boy Gardien De Buffles Minh Nguyen-Vô 2004 France, Belgium, VietnamMcDull, the Alumni Samson Chiu, Toe Yuen 2004 Hong Kong The Hunter Okhotnik Serik Aprymov 2004 Kazakhstan, Japan, France, Switzerland, NetherlandsOrdo Laurence Ferreira-Barbosa 2004 France, Canada, PortugalPoster Boy Zak Tucker 2004 USA Why (not) Brazil Pourquoi (Pas) Le Brésil Laetitia Masson 2004 FrancePrivate Saverio Costanzo 2003 ItaliaPromised Land Michael Beltrami 2004 Switzerland, ItaliaTony Takitani Jun Ichikawa 2004 Japan The Wedding Wesele Wojciech Smarzowski 2004 PolandYasmin Kenny Glenaan 2004 Great Britain, Germany
Filmmakers of the Present The Concorso Cineasti del Presente, also known as the Filmmakers of the Present Competition, showcases films from emerging filmmakers.
Filmmakers of the Present Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country Absolut 2004 Switzerland Après Mûre Réflexion After Blackberry Reflection Mia Hansen-Løve 2004 France Casshern Kazuaki Kiriya 2004 Japan Ceský Sen Czech Dream Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda 2004 Czech Republic Cielo Azul Cielo Negro Black Sky Black Sky Sabrina Farji, Paula de Luque 2004 Argentina Cinevardaphoto: Salut Les Cubains Cinevardaphoto: Hi Cubans Agnès Varda 1963 France Cinevardaphoto: Ulysse Agnès Varda 1982 France Cinevardaphoto: Ydessa, Les Ours Et Etc... Cinevardaphoto: Ydessa, Bears and Etc ... Agnès Varda 2004 France Cinevardaphoto Agnès VardaDie Josef TrilogieThe Joseph TrilogyThomas WoschitzAustriaDie Josef Trilogie - Part IThe Joseph Trilogy - Part 1Thomas Woschitz1995Austria Die Josef Trilogie - Part 2 Blindgaenger The Josef Trilogie - Part 2 Blindgaenger Thomas Woschitz 1996 Austria Die Josef Trilogie - Part 3 Girls + Cars Thomas Woschitz 2004 Austria Dig! Ondi Timoner 2003 USA Geister Und Gäste Ghosts and Guests 1989 Switzerland Greendale Bernard Shakey 2003 USA Le Cou De Clarisse Clarisse's Neck Benjamin Esdraffo 2003 France Le Pont Des Arts The Pont Des Arts Eugène Green 2004 France Meditations On Revolution Part I: Lonely Planet Robert Fenz 1997 USA Meditations On Revolution Part II: The Space In Between Robert Fenz 1997 USA Meditations On Revolution Part III: Soledad Robert Fenz 2001 USA Meditations On Revolution Part IV: Greenville, Ms Robert Fenz 2001 USA Meditations On Revolution Part V: Foreign City Robert Fenz 2003 USA Mystification Ou L'Histoire Des Portraits Mystification or the History of Portraits Sandrine Rinaldi 2003 France Somewhere In Between Pierre Coulibeuf 2004 France, Belgium Still, The Children Are Here Dinaz Stafford 2004 India, USA Survive Style 5+ Gen Sekiguchi 2004 Japan Szezon Season Ferenc Török 2003 Hungary Tang Shi / Tang Poetry Lu Zhang 2004 South Korea, China Tenja Hassan Legzouli 2004 France, Morocco Twisted Tango Tommaso Cardile, Francesco Carrozzini 2004 Italia, France Un Cuento Chino A Chinese Story 2003 Spain Uncovered: The War on Iraq Robert Greenwald 2004 USA Une Visite Au Louvre A Visit to the Louvre Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub 2003 France Vertical Air Robert Fenz 1996 USA
Video Section Video - Filmmakers of the Present (Cineasti del Presente) Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country 14 Episodes Murad Mazaev 2004 Georgia, Netherlands Appunti Romani Roman Notes Marco Bertozzi 2004 Italia Belvedere Arnold Pasquier 2004 France Cap Esterel Antoine Page 2003 France Cinquecentomila Leoni - Le Ultime Ore Di J.W. Ovvero Tarzan Ovvero J.W. Five Hundred Thousand Lions - The Last Hours of J.W. that is Tarzan or J.W. Andrea Liberovici, Aldo Nove 2004 Italia Contretemps 2004 France Détour De Seta Salvo Cuccia 2004 Italia Electronic Performers Bruno Dunckel 2003 France Faibles Amusements Low Amusements 2004 France Frammenti Di Novecento Fragments of Twentieth Century Francesco (Citto) Maselli 2004 Italia François Truffaut, Une Autobiographie François Truffaut, an Autobiography Anne Andreu 2004 France How Arnold Won The West Alex Cooke 2003 France, Great Britain Incident at Loch Ness Zak Penn 2003 USA L'Apprendista The Apprentice Giacomo Gatti 2004 Italia La Pattuglia Del Passo S. Giacomo The Patrol of the S. Giacomo Pass Ermanno Olmi 1954 Italia Les Accords D'Alba Alba Agreements Vincent Dieutre 2004 France Les Quinze Élèves Fifteen Students Jacques Meilleurat 2004 France Manon: Finestra 2 Manon: Window 2 Ermanno Olmi 1956 Italia Riccardo Bruno Bigoni 2004 Italia Sankofa Sankova Kevin Merz 2004 Switzerland Strade Blu. Storie Dalla Provincia Americana Blue Roads. Stories from the American Province Francesco Conversano, Nene Grignaffini 2004 Italia Sun And Moon And The God Of Rain Anna Elisabetta Pitscheider 2004 India, Italia The Pornographer (A Love Story) Alan Wade 2004 USA There Is No Direction Sarah Bertrand 2004 France Turi Have to Lotty Wohlwend 2004 Switzerland Un'Altra Città Another City Carlo Ippolito 2003 Switzerland Vernissages Glazing Mathieu Lis 2003 France Visions Of Europe 2004 Union Européenne Walker Villi Hermann 2004 Switzerland
Open Doors
Open Doors - Mekong Original Title English Title Director(s) Year Production Country Apsara Norodom Sihanouk 1966 Cambodia Ben Khong Chong Trong Ninh Luu 2002 Germany Chiec Chia Khoa Vang The Wine Division Lê Hoàng 2000 Vietnam Chung Cu Chung Linh Viet 1999 Vietnam Crepuscule Twilight Norodom Sihanouk 1969 Cambodia Cuoc Xe Dem Dem Chuyen Bui Thac 2002 Vietnam Doi Cat Two Cat Thanh Van Nguyen 1999 Vietnam Gai Nhay Thorns Lê Hoàng 2003 Vietnam Hanoi - 12 Ngay Dem HANOI - 12 Days Dem Dinh Hac Bui 2002 Vietnam Hanoi-Nua Dong Nam 46 Hanoi-Nua Dong Nam 1997 Vietnam Khuamvang Khong Mina Phanouvong Chanthone 1999 Laos Ky Uc Dien Bien Ky Uc Dien Well Do min Tuan 2004 Vietnam La Terre Des Ames Errantes The Land of Wandering Souls Rithy Panh 2002 France Markhang Phao Lenetene Som Ock Southiphonh 1994 Laos Moto Thief Lo K.M. 2004 Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk, Roi Cineaste Northern Sihanuk Jean-Baptiste Martin 1997 France Ombre Sur Angkor Shadow on Angkor Norodom Sihanouk 1967 Cambodia Thung Lung Hoang Van Valley Nhue Giang Pham 2002 Vietnam Thuong Nho Dong Que 1995 Vietnam Troi Lai Ngu Thuy Lai Lai Ngu Thuy Manh Thich Le 1998 Vietnam Un Soir Apres La Guerre One Evening after the War Rithy Panh 1997 France Vua Ba Rac King Ba Rac Minh Tuan Do 2003 Vietnam Yark Hai Lok Ni Khio Yark Hai Lok Ni Kahio Hongnakhone Thoumphala 1998 Laos
Leopards of Tomorrow Leopards of Tomorrow (Pardi di Domani)