Florian Hoffmann's drama "Yazz", about a teenager growing up in a UN compound in the Central African Republic, was the standout winner at this year's Locarno Pro Awards, taking both top prizes offered by the Alliance 4 Development co-production platform. The Swiss-German-French project, backed by Tellfilm, NiKo Film and Eaux Vives Productions, beat ten rivals from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, with judges praising its personal perspective and advanced state of development.

"Yazz" secured the Nebel Studios Award (roughly CHF 30,500, or $37,678, covering studio and camera use) and the Studio13/Valais Film Commission Award (worth close to $14,825 in studio time). Elsewhere, the coming-of-age titles "Cuore Matto" and "Les Orages Magnétiques" ("Magnetic Storms") shared the $31,000 Masé Studios Post-Production Award, with the latter also winning a Midpoint Consulting script prize. Italy's "Sparare alle Angurie" ("Shooting Watermelons") received a cash voucher worth over $3,706, while Jessica Puppo's "Le Règne des Silures" ("Reign of Silures") won a Ticino Film Commission residency plus a conditional letter of intent for up to CHF 12,000 ($14,824) in further funding.