La programación de Locarno (Variety)

By NICK VIVARELLI

ROME -- Seeking new lustre, the Locarno Film Festival has unveiled a leaner lineup, packed with 40 world preems, half of which are first-time features, in its first edition under new artistic topper Olivier Pere.

Opening Locarno's 63rd edition will be revered Gallic auteur Benoit Jacquot's period drama "Au Fond des Bois," which will unspool in the 7,000-seat outdoor Piazza Grande at the Swiss lakeside fest dedicated to indie fare.

Pere, a former head of the Cannes Directors' Fortnight, told Variety his goal is to "really make Locarno the place of discovery and the launch of young filmmakers and new directors."

Which is not to say his lineup does not comprise helmers who are already established names on the festival circuit. These include German auteur Pia Marais' highly anticipated "At Ellen's Age," starring Jeanne Balibar as a 43-year-old flight attendant whose life takes an unexpected turn; hot Hungarian helmer Benedek Fliegauf's sci-fier "Womb," starring Eva Green, and Canadian director Denis Cote's relationship drama "Curling."

2010 LOCARNO LINEUP

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
"Bas Fonds," Isild Le Besco, France
"White White World," Oleg Novkovic Serbia, Sweden/Germany
"Beyond the Steppes," Vanja d'Alcantara, Belgium/Poland
"Cold Weather," Aaaron Katz, U.S.
"Curling," Denis Cote, Canada
"Winter Vacation," Li Hongqi, China
"Man at Bath," Christophe Honore, France
"At Ellen's Age," Pia Marais, Germany
"Karamay," Xu Xin, China
"La Petite Chambre," Stephanie Chuat and Veronique Reymond, Switzerland
"L.A. Zombie," Bruce LaBruce, Germany/U.S./France
"Luz Nas Trevas -- A Volta Do Bandido Da Luz Vermelha," Helena Ignez and Icaro C. Martins, Brazil
"Morgen," Marian Crisan, Romania
"Periferic," Bogdan George Apetri, Romania/Austria
"Pietro," Daniele Gaglianone, Italy
"Sac," Tayfun Pirselim, Turkey/Greece
"Songs of Love and Hate," Katalina Godros, Switzerland
"Womb," Benedek Fliegauf, Germany/ Hungary/France

OUT OF COMPETITION
"C'etait Hier," Jacqueline Veuve, Switzerland
"Get Out of the Car," Thom Andersen, U.S.
"Hell Roaring Creek," Lucien Castaing-Taylor, U.S.
"Io Sono Tony Scott. La Storia Del Piu Grande Clarinettista Del Jazz,"
Franco Maresco, Italy
"Les Champs Brulants," Catherine Libert and Stefano Canapa, France
"Medemoiselle Else," Isabelle Prim, France
"The Indian Boundary Line," Thomas Comerford, U.S.


FILMMAKERS OF THE PRESENT COMPETITION
"Aardvark," Kitao Sakurai, U.S.
"The Belly of the Whale," Ana Lungu and Ana Szel, Romania
"Foreign Parts," Verena Paravel and J.P. Sniadecki, U.S./France
"Songs of Tomorrow," Jonas Holmstrom and Jonas Bergergard, Sweden
"Ivory Tower," Adam Traynor, Canada/France
"Jo Pour Jonathan," Maxime Giroux, Canada
"La Lisiere," Geraldine Bajard, France/Germany
"The Life Sublime," Daniel V. Villamediana, Spain
"Mandoo," Ebrahim Saeidi, Iraq
"Memory Lane," Mikhael Hers, France
"Intolerance Now," Takahiro Yamauchi, Japan
"Norberto's Deadline," Daniel Hendler, Uruguay/Argentina (foto)
"Paraboles," Emmanuelle Demoris, France
"Prud'Hommes," Stephane Goel, Switzerland
"Pulsar," Alex Stockman, Belgium
"September 12," Ozlem Sulak, Germany/Turkey
"The Fourth Portrait," Chung Mong-Hong, Taiwan
"Tilva Ros," Nikola Leraic, Serbia
"You Are Here," Daniel Cockburn, Canada


PIAZZA GRANDE
"Au Fond Des Bois," Benoit Jacquot, France/Germany
"Cyrus," Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass, U.S.
"The Silence," Baran bo Odar, Germany
"The Ugly Duckling," Garri Bardine, Russia
"Hugo Koblet -- Pedaleur De Charme," Daniel von Aarburg, Switzerland
"Invisibleboy," Philippe Parreno, France
"King's Road," Valdis Oskarsdottir, Iceland
"The Counsel," Cedric Anger, France
"Monsters," Gareth Edwards, U.K.
"Rammbock," Marvin Kren, Germany
"Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale," Jalmari Helander
"Rubber," Quentin Dupieux, France
"Little Paradise," Paul Riniker, Switzerland
"The Light Thief," Aktan Arym Kubat, Kyrgyzstan/Germany/France/Netherlands
"To Be or Not to Be," Ernst Lubitsch, U.S.
"Uomini Contro," Francesco Rosi, Italy