Posthumous Doc From ‘Flash Gordon’ Filmmaker Mike Hodges Among Six UK Titles Set For Locarno’s First Look Lab
26.07.2023 - 12:49
/ deadline.com
First Look, the works-in-progress strand of the Locarno film festival’s industry section, has revealed the six titles selected for its 2023 edition.
This year First Look will highlight independent projects from the UK. The festival has described each project as a work in progress “at the cusp of completion.” The selected works-in-progress, none of which currently have sales representation, will be presented to accredited industry professionals at the Cinema Rialto during the Locarno Film Festival.
Among the titles is All At Sea by the late filmmaker Mike Hodges (Flash Gordon, Get Carter). Produced by Solon Papadopoulos at Hurricane Films and directed, written, and narrated by Hodges, the pic explores Hodges’ story from his start in the Navy in the 1950s, to his work for Granada in the 1960s, through to his meteoric success with hits such as Get Carter and Flash Gordon in the 1970s onwards. Reflecting from his quiet Dorset home, Mike Hodges creates a visual ode to the bustle of the sea, the spark of 1960s London, and the darker side of the world that he’s seen through a lens.
This year’s international First Look jury comprises Ava Cahen (Artistic Director, La Semaine de la Critique), Gaia Furrer (Artistic Director, Giornate degli Autori), and Eugene Hernandez (Festival Director, Sundance Institute). The trio will hand out several awards: the Creativity Media First Look Award, which covers services towards the completion of films in post-production up to the value of €50,000; the Jannuzzi Smith Award worth €8,500, for the design of an international poster; and an award from leading industry magazine Le Film Français with advertising space worth €5,600.
The winners will be announced on August 6.
Locarno’s First Look has