The leopards among the festival visitors
The 68th Locarno Film Festival pays tribute to a major figure in American cinema: cult director and actor Sam Peckinpah. The accompanying poster series, «The Leopards of Locarno,» was designed by Jannuzzi Smith.
Sam Peckinpah (1925-1984) was described as a "rebel in Hollywood". With films such as The Wild Bunch (1969) - a masterpiece of the western genre - he shaped the popular imagination. He has directed some of Hollywood's biggest stars, such as Dustin Hoffman (Who Sows Violence, 1971), Steve McQueen (Junior Bonner, 1972; Getaway, 1972) and James Coburn ( Pat Garrett chases Billy the Kid, 1973).
Sam Peckinpah tells stories of lonely heroes, of people who rebel against the system and live in a violent world that also harbors poetic moments.
The Leopards of Locarno
The poster for the 68th Festival del Film Locarno was developed by the Jannuzzi Smith agency based on a series of images of festival-goers. The photographic project was realized during the last edition of the festival: Every day, dozens of subjects were photographed, including film lovers, film critics, actors and actresses, directors and other professionals linked to the universe of film and the Festival.
The aim of the project is to discover and make visible the "leopards" who camouflage themselves among the festival-goers. From hundreds of images, around twenty were selected to represent the 68th Festival del Film Locarno.
