Nnedimma Nkemdili "Nnedi" Okorafor is a Nigerian American writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. She is best known for her Binti Series and her novels Who Fears Death, Zahrah the Windseeker, Akata Witch, Akata Warrior, Lagoon and Remote Control. She has also written for comics and film.
The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, short, avant-garde, and retrospective programs. The Piazza Grande section is held in an open-air venue that seats 8,000 spectators.
The Golden Leopard is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to be entered in the competitive selection. The winning films are chosen by a jury. The award went under many names until it was named the Golden Leopard in 1968. The festival was not held in 1951 and the prize was not awarded in 1956 and 1982. As of 2009 René Clair and Jiří Trnka are the only two directors to have won the award twice, both of them winning in consecutive years.
Syllas Tzoumerkas is a Greek film director, screenwriter, and actor.
C.J. Obasi is a Nigerian film director, screenwriter and editor.
Eliza Hittman is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer from New York City. She has won multiple awards for her film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which include the New York Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award—both for best screenplay.
Kamal Aljafari - also written Kamal Jafari is a Palestinian artist, film director and producer.
Adebukola Oladipupo or Bukola Oladipupo is a Nigerian actress who debuted on MTV Shuga.
Cop Secret is a 2021 Icelandic action comedy film directed by Hannes Þór Halldórsson from a screenplay that he co-wrote alongside Nína Pedersen and Sverrir Þór Sverrisson. The film stars Auðunn Blöndal, Egill Einarsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir.
The Fever is a 2019 internationally co-produced drama thriller film written and directed by Maya Da-Rin, Miguel Seabra Lopes and Pedro Cesarino and starring Regis Myrupu and Rosa Peixoto. Featuring dialogue in Portuguese and the indigenous languages Tukano and Tikuna, it features a main cast of indigenous Brazilian from the Upper Rio Negro, belonging to the Desanos, Tucanos and Tarianas people, many of them whom had their first experience in cinema.
Amjad Abu Alala is a Sudanese film director, screenwriter and producer, who was born and lives in the United Arab Emirates. He became internationally known for his first feature film You Will Die at Twenty in 2019. This film was the first entry ever to be submitted from Sudan for the Academy Awards in the 'Best International Film' category, but was not selected in the final stage. His film has won, however, awards at international film festivals and has been shown internationally.
Progressive Tailors Club, is a Nigerian political satire film directed by Biodun Stephen and co-produced by Niyi Akinmolayan and Victoria Akujobi. The film stars Beverly Osu, Uzor Arukwe, Funnybone, and Blessing Jessica Obasi with Rachael Oniga, Lizzy Jay, Adedimeji Lateef, and Bolaji Ogunmola in supporting roles.
Ariyippu is a 2022 Indian drama film written and directed by Mahesh Narayanan. The film is produced by Shebin Backer, under the banner of Shebin Backer Productions, Kunchacko Boban under the banner of Kunchacko Boban Productions and Mahesh Narayanan himself under the Moving Narratives banner. It features Kunchacko Boban, Divya Prabha, Danish Husain, Loveleen Mishra, and Faizal Malik in pivotal roles. The film premiered in the Concorso internazionale of the 75th Locarno Film Festival on 4 August 2022, where it was nominated for Golden Leopard. The film had a worldwide release on Netflix on 16 December 2022.
Abba T. Makama is a Nigerian writer, director, visual artist and producer. He is known for directing Green White Green and The Lost Okoroshi. He is the founder and the creative director of Osiris Film and Entertainment. His films focus on telling Nigerian stories to a global audience and illustrate how connected and similar the world is regardless of national boundaries. His work is largely inspired by dreams and Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious. His work also explores theme of classism, spirituality, tradition and in genres such as comedy, drama, mockumentary, satire and magical realism.
Nengi Adoki is a Nigerian actress. She is known for her roles in Nollywood films such as Juju Stories and Chatroom, and web series such as The Men's Club. She was named one of the Top Nollywood actors in 2021, and is an activist for women's issues and police brutality in Nigeria.
Rule 34 is a 2022 drama film co-written and directed by Julia Murat and starring Sol Miranda. The film is named after the Internet phenomenon Rule 34. Structured as a series of short episodes, it follows a young law student who develops a passion for defending women in abuse cases. At the same time, her own sexual interests lead her into a world dominated by violence and eroticism.
The 76th annual Locarno Festival was held from 2 August to 12 August 2023 in Locarno, Switzerland.
Critical Zone is a 2023 drama film written and directed by Ali Ahmadzadeh. It is a co-production between Iran and Germany and was shot in secret without permission from Iranian authorities.
