Riz Ahmed to receive ‘Excellence Award’ at Locarno Film Festival
British actor Riz Ahmed will receive the ‘Excellence Award Davide Campari’ at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival. The award honours individuals who have made significant contributions to contemporary cinema. Ahmed’s latest short film, Dammi, directed by French auteur Yann Mounir Demange of ’71 fame, is also set to have its world premiere at the Swiss festival, which champions indie cinema.
Ahmed, who earned an Oscar nomination in 2021 for his performance in Amazon Prime’s Sound of Metal, began his career in indie films such as Michael Winterbottom’s The Road to Guantanamo before landing breakout roles in mainstream cinema, including Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler, Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Ruben Fleischer’s Venom.
Locarno’s upcoming award will honour Ahmed’s diverse career, not only in acting but also in music. Born in London into a British-Pakistani family, he has also used rap as an additional medium to express himself.
The multifaceted aspect of Ahmed’s talent will be showcased at the festival through two selected works. 2020’s Mughal Mowgli, co-written and produced by Ahemd and directed by Bassam Tariq, will screen at the festival on August 3rd. The short film The Long Goodbye, helmed by Surge director Aneil Karia and winner of the Academy Award for ‘Best Live Action Short Film’ in 2022, will also be playing.
Locarno’s artistic director, Giona A. Nazzaro, praised Ahmed as a “brilliant and versatile talent in cinema today.” Nazzaro continued: “Chameleon-like, he can move from blockbuster to auteur movies, equally at ease on stage or TV, rapping with a mike or intervening as executive producer.”
The artistic director went on to note that Ahmed, with an Academy Award and many other prizes to his name, embodies a more receptive cinema that is finally listening to new voices and representing previously un-seen minorities: “Riz Ahmed is the face of a future finally becoming possible,” he stated.
By receiving the honour, Ahmed will join the ranks of other acclaimed talents, including Harmony Korine, Pietro Scalia, and Tsai Ming-liang. The 76th Locarno Film Festival will run from August 2nd until the 12th.
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