Lithuanian Teen Drama ‘Toxic’ Triumphs at Locarno Film Festival

Lithuanian cinema made a significant impact at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, a significant event on the international film festival calendar. Two films from Lithuania shined brightly, grabbing numerous top awards. Saulė Bareiša’s debut film, “Toxic,” was a standout, earning the prestigious Golden Lion for Best Film in the festival’s premier International Competition. The jury, chaired by Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner, also awarded “Toxic” the top prize in the First Feature Competition.

Laurynas Bareiša, another Lithuanian director, also had a remarkable showing. His film, “Drowning Dry,” secured him the Best Director award in the International Competition. The ensemble of “Drowning Dry” earned one of the jury’s gender-neutral acting prizes as well.

The full list of winners for the different categories at Locarno Film Festival is as follows:

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Golden Leopard for Best Film: “Toxic,” by Saulė Bliuvaitė
Special Jury Prize: “Moon,” Kurdwin Ayub
Best Director: Laurynas Bareiša, “Drowning Dry”
Best Performance: (ex aequo) Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevičius for “Drowning Dry”; Kim Minhee for “By the Stream”
Special Mentions: “Youth (Hard Times),” Wang Bing; “Salve Maria,” Mar Coll

CINEASTI DEL PRESENTE (FILMMAKERS OF THE PRESENT) COMPETITION
Best Film: “Holy Electricity,” Tato Kotetishvili
Best Emerging Director: Denise Fernandes, “Hanami”
Special Jury Prize: “Listen to the Voices,” Maxime Jean-Baptiste
Best Performance: (ex aequo) Callie Hernandez, “Invention”; Anna Mészöly, “Lesson Learned”
Special Mentions: “Lesson Learned,” Bálint Szimler; “When the Phone Rang,” Iva Radivojević

FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
Swatch First Feature Award: “Toxic,” Saulė Bliuvaitė
MUBI Award for Debut Feature: “Green Line,” Sylvie Ballyotr
Special Mentions: “Hanami,” Denise Fernandes; “Listen to the Voices,” Maxime Jean-Baptiste

PARDI DI DOMANI SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Auteur Short Competition
Best Auteur Short Film: “Upshot,” Maha Haj
Special Mention: “The Masked Monster,” Syeyoung Park
Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate – European Film Awards: “The Exploding Girl,” Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel

International Competition
Best International Short Film: “Washhh,” Mickey Lai
Pardino d’Argento: “Hymn of the Plague,” Ataka51
Best Director: “Que te Vaya Bonito, Rico,” Joel Alfonso Vargas
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award: “The Form,” Melika Pazouki
Special Mention: “Freak,” Claire Barnett

National Competition
Best Swiss Short Film: “Sans Voix,” Samuel Patthey
Pardino d’Argento: “Better Not Kill the Groove,” Jonathan Leggett
Best Swiss Newcomer Award: Gabriel Grosclaude, “Lux Carne”
Special Mention: “Progress Mining,” Gabriel Böhmer

PARDO VERDE COMPETITION
Pardo Verde: “Agora,” Ala Eddine Slim
Special Mentions: “Der Fleck,” Willy Hans; “Revolving Rounds,” Johann Lurf and Christina Jauernik

INDEPENDENT JURY AWARDS
Ecumenical Jury Award: “Toxic,” Saulė Bliuvaitė
Special Mention: “Moon,” Kurdwin Ayub
FIPRESCI Prize: “Youth (Hard Times),” Wang Bing
Europa Cinemas Label: “Moon,” Kurdwin Ayub

JUNIOR JURY AWARDS

International Competition
First Prize: “Green Line,” Sylvie Ballyot
Second Prize: “Toxic,” Saulė Bliuvaitė
Third Prize: “Salve Maria,” Mar Coll
Environment is Quality of Life Prize: “Youth (Hard Times),” Wang Bing

Cineasti del Presente Competition
First Prize: “Holy Electricity,” Tato Kotetishvili
Special Mention: “Olivia & Las Nubes,” Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat

Short Film Competition
International Competition Award: “Razeh-Del,” Maryam Tafakory
Special Mention: “Punter,” Jason Adam Maselle
National Competition Award: “Sans Voix,” Samuel Patthey
Special Mention: “Lux Carne,” Gabriel Grosclaude
Auteur Short Award: “Upshot,” Maha Haj
Environment is Quality of Life Prize: “Three Leaves,” Eléonore Coyette and Sephora Monteau

CRITICS’ WEEK AWARDS
Grand Prix: “Wir Erben,” Simon Baumann
Marco Zucchi Award: “La Déposition,” Claudia Marschal

Residency Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur @ Villa Sträuli: Maryam Tafakory

Source: Variety