Riz Ahmed to Be Honored by Locarno Film Festival Where His Latest Short ‘Dammi’ Will Bow
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Riz Ahmed will be honoured by the Locarno Film Festival where the latest short in which the British actor appears – titled “Dammi” and directed by French auteur Yann Mounir Damage – will world premiere.
Ahmed, who earned an Oscar nomination for best actor in 2021 for his performance as a drummer who suddenly goes deaf in Amazon’s “Sound of Metal,” will be feted by the Swiss fest dedicated to indie filmmaking cinema with with its 2021 Excellence Award Davide Campari, which pays tribute to film personalities who have left their personal stamp on contemporary cinema. “Dammi,” which was teased at Cannes, is an experimental work, broadly on the theme of immigration and identity, produced by French fashion brand AMI, founded by Alexandre Mattiussi, and also starring Isabelle Adjani, Souheila Yacoub, Sandor Funtek and Suzy Bemba.
The buzzed-about short will screen at Locarno’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande, on opening night, Aug. 2, during the ceremony at which Amed will receive the award.
Ahmed emerged on the indie scene in films such as Michael Winterbottom’s “The Road to Guantanamo,” Christopher Morris’s “Four Lions,” and Mira Nair’s “The Reluctant Fundamentalist.” His mainstream breakouts comprise hits such as Dan Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and Ruben Fleischer’s “Venom.” In a statement Locarno noted that, besides acting, Ahmed – who was born in London into a British-Pakistani family – has also followed a parallel career in music, “making rap another medium for his personal message.” The twofold aspect of Riz Ahmed’s talent is reflected in the two works chosen by the actor/rapper/writer to accompany his Locarno tribute.
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