The first edition of the new Locarno Kids Award will honor the Japanese filmmaker, who received an Oscar nomination for Mirai. The tribute will include the Swiss premiere, in Piazza Grande, of his latest production, Belle.

He earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Mirai, and the Locarno Film Festival is paying tribute to the first 20 years of his career with the first ever Locarno Kids Award. When choosing an honoree, Locarno74 immediately thought of Mamoru Hosoda, a master of Japanese animation and the creator of Digimon: The Movie (2000), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) and Summer Wars (Concorso internazionale, Locarno 2009). Hosoda caught the international eye with Mirai (2018), which was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe in 2019. To honor Hosoda, Locarno74 will screen Belle (2021) in Piazza Grande, as a national premiere on August 9, as well as The Boy and the Beast (2015) and Wolf Children (2012) in the new official section Locarno Kids: Screenings, devoted to younger audiences.

In addition, for the occasion, a workshop will be organized within Locarno Kids on Japanese animation and its techniques, which will allow participants to immerse themselves in this magical world (LINK). The focus on the Japanese auteur thus completes the Festival's new section dedicated to childhood and adolescence, made up of gems from the past to be rediscovered - such as the RSI series Clorofilla dal cielo blu (Chlorophyll from the Blue Sky, 1984) by Victor J. Tognola and Go West (1925) by Buster Keaton - and more recent interesting projects, such as the contemporary titles chosen in collaboration with Castellinaria – Festival del cinema giovane. Discover the section's program here.

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The Locarno Film Festival is preparing to welcome younger audiences as early as August 3, on the Prefestival evening presented by la Mobiliare. Laurent Geslin's LYNX (2021) will be presented in Piazza Grande. The Swiss French film will introduce young viewers to the surprises Locarno74 has in store for them, starting with this incredible journey to discover nature and one of the most fascinating animals on the planet, the lynx that lives in the Jura mountains. The screening is offered free of charge in Piazza Grande and Palexpo (FEVI) (where the Covid certificate is required), or at La Sala (where the Covid certificate isn’t required). But we remind you that it is necessary to book your seat in all of the venues and the reservations can be made now through the Online Ticket Shop and the Locarno Film Festival App, or, from July 30, also at the Festival's Infopoints. For any questions about reservations please contact booking@locarnofestival.ch.

Discover the Locarno Kids la Mobiliare universe here.

The 70th Locarno Festival will be held from 4th to 14th August 2021.

More: www.pardo.ch