Written by Kianna Best on Aug 14, 2023. Posted in Awards and Festivals

Locarno Film Festival concludes with awe-worthy winners

Ali Ahmadzadeh’s Critical Zone (Mantagheye bohrani) has come out with the top prize at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, winning the Golden Leopard for best film. Shot in secret, the Tehran filmed sci-fi feature is an Iranian-German co-production following a man driving through Tehran’s underworld with his dog. The global roster of winners saw a number of co-productions displaying international creative collaborations and boundaries pushed.

“Instead of actors, I worked with real people. In most situations, we had to hide the camera or find complicated tricks to work around the limitations. Making this film was a big rebellion. Showing it means an even bigger victory for us,” said Ahmadzadeh in a statement

Critical Zone (Mantagheye bohrani) ; image courtesy of Locarno Film Festival

Captured without the proper permissions to film in Tehran, the Critical Zone director was restricted form attending the Swiss festival to collect his award. Faced with pressure from the Iranian government to remove the entry from competition, the film defied all obstacles, receiving roaring acclaim for its presence as a “hymn to freedom and resistance,” as stated by the festival. Also receiving a cash prize of CHF 75,000, this win marks the third to in the category to be awarded to an Iranian filmmaker.

Among the other winners at the festival was Ken Loach’s The Old Oak, which made it’s premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Awarded the Prix du Public UBS, the Durham shot drama shows the dynamic when a group of Syrian refugees stumble across a traditional English pub. Exploring themes of diversity, the past and future prospects, this project marks the prominent British filmmaker’s last.

Making history as the first South East Asian and Singaporean win for the Filmmakers of the Present Golden Leopard was director Nelson Yeo. The filmmaker’s debut feature Dreaming and Dying took home two awards, also including the Swatch First Feature Award.

The Old Oak; image courtesy of Festival du Cannes