Locarno Film Festival Winners: Lithuanian Teen Drama ‘Toxic’ Takes Top Prize
deadline.comLithuanian filmmaker Saulė Bliuvaitė has clinched the Golden Leopard in the main international competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival with her debut featureToxic.
Directed by Bliuvaitė from a screenplay she also wrote, the film follows two 13-year-olds, Marija and Kristina, who form a unique bond at a local modeling school, where the promise of a better life pushes girls to violate their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.
The pic was one of the buzzier titles on the ground in Locarno and was also Locarno chief Giona A. Nazzaro‘s early pick from the official competition during our interview with him prior to the festival. “The victory of newcomer Saulė Bliuvaitė, whose Toxic won the Pardo d’Oro and the Swatch First Feature Award, confirms the Locarno Film Festival‘s ability to identify the most innovative talents in the business,” Nazzaro said this afternoon.
Elsewhere, Kurdwin Ayub’s Mond won the Special Jury Prize, while the Pardo for Best Direction went to Laurynas Bareiša for Seses (Drowning Dry).
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