Mubi, the streaming and distribution company, and the Locarno Film Festival are collaborating to present a new award for the first film to be included in the official selection of the Swiss festival.
The award, dubbed the Mobi Award for Debut Feature Film, celebrates “distinctive, bold visions of storytelling and the aesthetic possibilities of the medium, and highlights new films that will shape the future of cinema,” according to a Locarno statement.
The winning film will receive 10,000 Swiss francs ($11,000) to be shared equally between the director and producer. An agreement with Mubi may or may not be reached, but it is certainly within the realm of possibility.
The Mobi Award for a Debut Feature Film at Locarno will be decided by a jury composed of Moroccan director and producer Khalil Benkirane, who heads the Doha Film Institute’s Grants Department; Finnish actress Alma Puesti, star of Aki Kaurismäki’s Falling Leaves, which was distributed by Mobi; and leading Swiss make-up artist Esme Schiaroni, whose recent credits include Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera.
“Honoring great cinema and the filmmakers who make it is the very reason why MUBI exists,” said MUBI Founder and CEO Evi Kakarel, who will be attending this year’s Locarno festival. “We truly hope that this award will help a new generation of storytellers bring their visions and voices to life.”
“We are very happy to collaborate with MUBI on a new award capable of opening up unprecedented horizons and possibilities for young cinema and film writers,” commented Locarno Festival Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro.
The 77th Locarno Film Festival, Europe's premier independent film event, will take place from 7 to 17 August.
