'Nine Lives' wins top Locarno award

The powerful drama wins the Golden Leopard and receives a best actress award for its amazing ensemble cast.

Aug 15 2005

Rodrigo Garcia's 'Nine Lives' won the Golden Leopard at Switzerland's Locarno Film Festival at the weekend.

In doing so, it became the first American film to win the top award since Tom DiCillo's 'Johnny Suede' in 1991.

The drama, which revolves around the lives of nine women whose destinies intertwine, also won a collective best actress award for its impressive ensemble, which includes Glenn Close, Holly Hunter and Sissy Spacek.

Patrick Drolet won the best actor award for his performance in 'Le Neuvaine', while Nobuhiro Suwa's 'Un Couple Parfait' was given the festival's special jury prize.

Elsewhere the Silver Leopard for second best feature went to Yilmaz Arslan for 'Fratricide', while 'Zaïna, Cavalière de l'Atlas' was given the UBS audience award.

And on Sunday, the festival's administrative board announced that Swiss film journalist Frederic Maire would take over from Irene Bignardi as artistic director.

Geoff Andrew's full round-up of the festival will appear on the site later this week.

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