Florian Hoffmann’s ‘Yaz’ wins two top Locarno Pro awards
The film 'Yaz', directed by Florian Hoffmann, has secured two major awards at the Locarno Pro industry event. The project, which depicts the life of a teenager raised inside a United Nations compound in the Central African Republic, is a co-production between Switzerland, Germany and France, produced by Tellfilm, Niko Film and O Wave Productions. Selected from 11 projects at the 'Alliance 4 Development' co-development platform—which focuses on works from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland—'Yaz' was the recipient of two distinct honours. The 'Nebel Studios' award provides three days of studio time and five days of camera equipment, valued at approximately 30,500 Swiss francs (roughly $37,678). Additionally, the project received the 'Studio13/Valais Film Commission' award, which includes five days of access to Studio 13 in the Swiss canton of Valais, valued at nearly $14,825. In the post-production award category, the coming-of-age films 'Cuore Matto' and 'Magnetic Storms' jointly received a $31,000 prize. Furthermore, Anne-Marie Miéville’s 'We’re Still All Here' won this year’s competition for cinematic heritage restoration. These awards were presented as part of the Locarno Pro programme during the Locarno Film Festival.