The 2009 Locarno International Film Festival, to be held from August 5 through 15, will showcase around twenty French productions and co-productions.
Screenings at the Piazza Grande this year will include Les Derniers jours du monde by the Larrieu brothers, La Guerre des fils de lumière contre les fils des ténèbres by Amos Gitai, Marching Band by Claude Miller, and Unter Bauern (Saviors in the Night) by Ludi Boeken.
In the International Competition, A Religiosa Portuguesa by Eugene Green will compete alongside L’Insurgé by Laurent Perreau’s, Complices by Frédéric Mermoud, and Au voleur by Sarah Leonor.
Three promising young directors feature in the Filmmakers of the Present Competition: Valérie Donzelli for La Reine des pommes, Dyana Gaye for Un transport en commun, and Andrew Kotting for Ivul.
Seven other French productions are included in the Ici et d’Ailleurs section.
Next year’s Locarno International Film Festival will see a change of artistic director, with Frédéric Maire set to take up the position of director at the Swiss Film Archive in Lausanne. He will be succeeded by Olivier Père, who has been artistic director of the Cannes Directors' Fortnight since 2004.
