The Locarno Film Festival is teaming up with film social network Letterboxd to award a new award for this year’s edition.
The Letterboxd Piazza Grande Award will recognize a film screening in the legendary Piazza Grande, the Swiss festival’s 8,000-seat open-air cinema in the heart of Locarno, which “combines both the values and artistic qualities of the cinephile landscape of today and the commercial potential of the international festival circuit. The winning title will receive extensive editorial coverage on Letterboxd and Locarno Film Festival channels to help “build global awareness”.
A jury composed of the Letterboxd editorial team and young accredited critics present at the Festival will vote to choose the winner.
“Over the past decade, Letterboxd has become one of the go-to sites for movie fans to share the films they love,” says Locarno Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro. “We are proud to be the first international festival to partner with Letterboxd to reward the films in the official selection, in this case those screened at the very heart of our Festival: under the stars of the Piazza Grande.”
Matthew Buchanan, co-founder of Letterboxd, adds: “One of our guiding principles is to find ways to connect our movie-loving audience with the filmmakers operating at the forefront of the medium. We are delighted to work with the Locarno Film Festival in its 77th edition, to provide media coverage, community feedback and support for filmmakers in the most beautiful of outdoor settings.
The Letterboxd Piazza Grande Award ceremony will take place in Piazza Grande on the evening of Saturday, August 17.
The 77th Locarno Film Festival takes place from August 7 to 17, 2024.
