Tim Blake Nelson, the actor, writer, director, producer, and regular Coen Brothers collaborator, along with Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, Italian actor Luca Marinelli, and Belgian producer Diana Elbaum, will be part of the jury for the main competition section of the Locarno Film Festival. They will determine the winner of the prestigious Pardo d’Oro — the Golden Leopard — in the Concorso Internazionale (International Competition) at the 77th edition of the Swiss film festival, scheduled for Aug 7-17. The lineup of jurors has been praised by Locarno organizers for including some of the most distinctive voices in contemporary cinema. Nelson will also feature in Vincent Grashaw’s Bang Bang, premiering in the Fuori Concorso (Out of Competition) section of Locarno 77.
The jury responsible for selecting the winner of the Pardo d’Oro in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente (Filmmakers of the Present) category, which focuses on emerging directors with their first or second features, comprises Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Fiery Obasi, French/Palestinian/Algerian filmmaker and actor Lina Soualem, and former Cahiers du cinéma editor and Cannes Critics' Week artistic director Charles Tesson.
For the best short films at Locarno, the jury will consist of Italian scriptwriter, director, and programmer Licia Eminenti, Malagasy curator, filmmaker, and fashion designer Laza Razanajatovo, and French producer Juliette Schrameck.
The Swatch First Feature Award will be decided by Moroccan producer-director Khalil Benkirane, Finnish star Alma Pöysti, and Swiss-Italian make-up designer Esmé Sciaroni.
Lastly, the Pardo Verde honor, recognizing films that contribute to awareness and action on climate change, will be determined by a jury comprising Swiss-Rwandan artist, writer, and director Kantarama Gahigiri, French programmer and film critic Cédric Succivalli, and Swiss sustainability adviser, journalist, and arts manager Daniel Wiener.
Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to welcome these talented individuals to Locarno and entrust them with the films selected by the festival's committees. Their creative perspectives will introduce this year's official selection to the global audience.
