For a Festival of discoveries like Locarno, awarding prizes to first films means signaling to the filmmaking world the promising names whose paths ought to be followed. The crucial work of the First Feature jury, consisting this year of Kieron Corless, Funa Maduka and Susan Vahabzadeh, is made possible thanks to Swatch, who are behind the Swatch First Feature Award and the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Award: a residency of 3-6 months at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, which has served as a place of encounters, exchanges and reflection for artists all over the world since 2011. Among them is Israeli filmmaker Elinor Nechemya, an attendee of this year’s Filmmakers Academy, also supported by Swatch. The Swiss company supports the Festival in more imperceptible ways as well, marking the time with the ticking of 710, a black-and-yellow, limited edition watch created specifically to celebrate Locarno71.
