Denise Fernandes has won the Best Emerging Director award in the Cineasti del Presente (Filmmakers of the Present) section of the 2024 Locarno Film Festival.
Speaking about the festival, which ended on August 17, Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro, said it was a “truly unique edition that marked once more what makes Locarno such a cherished festival both with audiences worldwide and within the film industry.
“Creativity and hope for a better tomorrow were the elements that ran through all the sections. Cinema is a driving force and Locarno is a flagship for it. We are truly proud of this edition and grateful for the tremendous team effort behind its success.”
Fernades’s honour is in recognition of her directorial work in the well-received drama Hanami, a coproduction effort credited to Cape Verde, Switzerland, and Portugal. Her film examines a girl’s bond with the island she grew up in and probes her complex relationship with her mother.
Fernandes, who was raised in Europe by parents from Cape Verde, also received a special mention from the festival’s First Feature awards jury. The double honour is a remarkable rise for a director who, in 2020, showed a short film at the same venue that has now awarded her first feature film.
On Instagram, she congratulated fellow winner Kurdwin Ayub (who won the Special Jury Prize), adding that “So many women directors won this year!”
Full list of winners from the festival’s different sections below.
Concorso Internazionale (International Competition)
Pardo d’Oro – Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno: AKIPLĖŠA (TOXIC) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania
Special Jury Prize – Cities of Ascona and Losone: MOND by Kurdwin Ayub, Austria
Pardo for Best Direction – City and Region of Locarno: Laurynas Bareiša for SESES (DROWNING DRY), Lithuania/Latvia
Pardo for Best Performance: Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, Paulius Markevičius for SESES (DROWNING DRY) by Laurynas Bareiša, Lithuania/Latvia
Pardo for Best Performance: Kim Minhee for SUYOOCHEON (BY THE STREAM) by Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
Special Mentions: QING CHUN (KU) (YOUTH (HARD TIMES)) by WANG Bing, France/Luxembourg/Netherlands and SALVE MARIA by Mar Coll, Spain
Concorso Cineasti del Presente (Filmmakers of the Present)
Pardo d’Oro – Concorso Cineasti del Presente: HOLY ELECTRICITY by Tato Kotetishvili, Georgia/Netherlands
Best Emerging Director Award – City and Region of Locarno: Denise Fernandes for HANAMI, Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+: KOUTÉ VWA (LISTEN TO THE VOICES) by Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium/France/French Guiana
Pardo for Best Performance: Callie Hernandez for INVENTION by Courtney Stephens, USA
Pardo for Best Performance: Anna Mészöly for FEKETE PONT (LESSON LEARNED) by Bálint Szimler, Hungary
Special Mentions: FEKETE PONT (LESSON LEARNED) by Bálint Szimler, Hungary and KADA JE ZAZVONIO TELEFON (WHEN THE PHONE RANG) by Iva Radivojević, Serbia/USA
Pardi di Domani
Concorso Corti d’Autore
Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for the Best Auteur Short Film: UPSHOT by Maha Haj, Palestine/Italy/France
Special Mention: GWE-IN ESI JEONGCHE (THE MASKED MONSTER) by Syeyoung Park, South Korea
Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate – European Film Awards: LA FILLE QUI EXPLOSE by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel, France
Concorso Internazionale
Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR for the Best International Short Film: WASHHH by Mickey Lai, Malaysia/Ireland
Pardino d’Argento SRG SSR for the International Competition: GIMN CHUME (HYMN OF THE PLAGUE) by Ataka51, Germany/Russia
Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering: QUE TE VAYA BONITO, RICO by Joel Alfonso Vargas, United Kingdom/USA
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award: THE FORM by Melika Pazouki, Iran
Special Mention: FREAK by Claire Barnett, USA
Concorso Nazionale
Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for the Best Swiss Short Film: SANS VOIX by Samuel Patthey, Switzerland
Pardino d’Argento Swiss Life for the National Competition: BETTER NOT KILL THE GROOVE by Jonathan Leggett, Switzerland
Best Swiss Newcomer Award: Gabriel Grosclaude for LUX CARNE, Switzerland
Special Mention: PROGRESS MINING by Gabriel Böhmer, United Kingdom/Switzerland
First Feature
Swatch First Feature Award: AKIPLĖŠA (TOXIC) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania
MUBI Award – Debut Feature: GREEN LINE by Sylvie Ballyot, France/Lebanon/Qatar
Special Mentions: HANAMI by Denise Fernandes, Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde and KOUTÉ VWA (LISTEN TO THE VOICES) by Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium/France/French Guiana
Pardo Verde
Pardo Verde: AGORA by Ala Eddine Slim, Tunisia/France/Saudi Arabia/Qatar
Special Mentions: DER FLECK by Willy Hans, Germany/Switzerland and REVOLVING ROUNDS by Johann Lurf and Christina Jauernik, Austria
