Locarno Meets

Caroline Goodall: from Steven Spielberg to Lars von Trier to “The Princess Diaries”

For our final episode for season two of Locarno Meets, we were delighted to be joined by actress Caroline Goodall, whose illustrious career has seen her turn in remarkable performances in now-classic films by many of the greatest names in contemporary cinema. Goodall was in Locarno to promote her latest film, the Piazza Grande-playing “Sew Torn”, directed by the prodigious young director Freddy MacDonald. We spoke with the marvellous actress about working, in this case, with a gifted filmmaker in his early twenties, as well as reminiscing about some of her major films, like “Schindler’s List”, “Hook”, “The Princess Diaries”, and Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac”.

Hollywood Legend Ben Burtt and the Sounds of “Star Wars”, “E.T.” and “Indiana Jones”

Close your eyes for a moment and think of the sound a lightsaber makes. Think of the sound of Darth Vader breathing. Think of E.T. saying he wants to phone home. All those sound effects are the work of legendary sound designer Ben Burtt. At the 77ᵗʰ Locarno Film Festival, Burtt was in town to collect the Vision Award Ticinomoda, given to celebrate his exceptional career as a sound artist in Hollywood. From a childhood spent tape recording the sounds of movies from television to his pioneering effects work with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Ben Burtt has lived a life through sound.

Producer Stacey Sher Talks “Pulp Fiction”, “Contagion” and Her Most Iconic Movies

Producers don’t always get their day in the spotlight. At the 77ᵗʰ Locarno Film Festival, the Raimondo Rezzonico Award was given to legendary indie producer Stacey Sher, who is responsible for a genuinely eye-popping line-up of iconic movies. Just to name a few: “Pulp Fiction”, “Erin Brockovich”, “Reality Bites”, “Out of Sight”, “Mathilda”, “Mrs. America”, “Contagion”, “Man on the Moon”, “Gattaca”, “Django Unchained”, “The Hateful Eight”, and recently the Hugh Grant-starring horror film “Heretic”. Anybody with a career like that has plenty of stories to share, and when Sher joined us on Locarno Meets, she certainly didn’t disappoint.

Luca Marinelli: “When I Was Young, I Didn't Watch TV, I Watched Fellini”

This week on Locarno Meets, we caught up with Italian star Luca Marinelli, best known to international audiences for his roles in “M”, “The Eight Mountains”, and “Martin Eden”. Marinelli was in Locarno to serve on the main jury at the 77ᵗʰ edition of the Festival alongside some of the leading lights of auteur cinema. We took the opportunity to sit down with the charismatic and thoughtful actor to discuss his early influences – including watching De Sica and Fellini movies as a child –, his extraordinary performances done inside and outside of the Italian film industry, and his criteria for what makes a good movie.

Tim Blake Nelson on Boxing Movies, the Coen Brothers, and “Bang Bang”

An exemplary character actor with a distinctive face: that’s how Tim Blake Nelson is perhaps most often described. Yet beyond memorable roles in films by Steven Spielberg, the Coen brothers, and Terrence Malick, Nelson is also an accomplished filmmaker in his own right, responsible for a handful of impressive works in a variety of genres. This week, Nelson joins us on Locarno Meets while serving as a member of the jury at the 77ᵗʰ Locarno Film Festival and presenting the boxing drama “Bang Bang” out of competition at the Festival, following a successful debut at Tribeca. We took the chance to speak with the great actor about the appeal of genre, his boxing influences, and his ability to disappear into a role, whether through a physical transformation or by learning – as he is now doing – to convincingly play the mandolin at age 60.