A special screening of Al Massir (Destiny) will take place on Thursday August 7 as the second screening on the Piazza Grande – a film that was programmed at the Festival eleven years ago, at the time of its release.

«We were greatly saddened at the passing away of Locarno’s dear friend, Youssef Chahine, commented Frédéric Maire, the Festival’s Artistic Director. This extraordinary storyteller, who ranged across film genres so brilliantly, commanded admiration also for the courage of the positions he took, insisting on the importance of tolerance. Throughout the length of his career, and his rich œuvre, Chahine displayed a unique combination of political outrage and pleasure in narrative. He was a great auteur and a formidable provocateur.»

In 1996, the Locarno Festival devoted a complete retrospective to the filmmaker, in his presence.