Locarno is bracing for a cinematic surge this year as the 77th Locarno Film Festival prepares to showcase an array of arthouse films. The festival will commence on Wednesday evening with the global debut of The Flood, an event that will transport the 8,000-strong audience in the Piazza Grande to a pivotal moment in French history.
Italian filmmaker Gianluca Jodice, who co-wrote and directed Le Déluge (The Flood), casts Mélanie Laurent and Guillaume Canet as Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI. The film is set in 1792, focusing on the period when the royal family was imprisoned in a Parisian chateau, awaiting their trial.
Attendees at Locarno will experience a dual celebration: the premiere of the film and the presentation of the Excellence Award Davide Campari to Laurent and Canet during the festival’s opening night.
Jodice describes The Flood as an “apocalyptic film” that strips away all pretenses and explores a personal crisis rather than a historical one. In his statement on the Locarno77 website, he emphasizes the film’s metaphysical rather than historical ambitions, focusing on the protagonists’ personal upheaval.
Prior to the festival’s start, Jodice discussed with THR’s Georg Szalai the inspiration behind his film, his fascination with historical narratives, the challenges of historical accuracy, and his future projects.