International reporter
Locarno Film Festival: Sexually Explicit Brazilian Film 'Rule 34' Wins Top Prize
Lithuanian filmmaker Saulė Bliuvaitė has won the Golden Leopard in the main international competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival for her debut film Toxic.
The film is directed by Bliuvaitė and written from a screenplay she also wrote. The story follows two thirteen-year-old girls, Marija and Kristina, who form a unique bond at a local modeling school. The promise of a better life drives the girls to abuse their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.
The picture was one of the most talked about titles at Locarno and was also Locarno director Giona A. Nazzaro's first choice from the official competition during our interview with him ahead of the festival.
