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Debuting topper Olivier Pere slims down selection while refocusing on edgier fare
ROME
In an effort to bolster the Locamo Fest's once-unchallenged status as Europe's preeminent event dedicated to discovering new auteurs, the fest's new artistic topper, Olivier Pere, is putting his stamp on the event by cutting clutter while radicalizing the selection to include more edgy, ultra-indie and genre titles alongside the classic arthouse cinema.
For his first edition, Pere, a former topper of Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, is giving the 63-year-old fest a trim, launching a leaner Locarno, with a sharp eye for "original, interesting, innovative" works, rather than a stuffy "luxury showcase for world cinema."
Pere's first move at the helm was to scrap the multiformat Ici et Ailleurs section and redefine the two competitions, so that the Filmmakers of the Present competish is now just for filmmakers bringing first and second works.
He then proceeded to assemble a lineup packed with 40 world premieres, half of which are first-time features.
Some of his selection pushes the limits of contempo cinema, being closer to the video, documentary and art installation worlds. For example, Chinese...