Ben Burtt, the voice of R2-D2, ET and Wall-E, honored in Locarno

Ben Burtt

Courtesy of Locarno Film Festival

Legendary sound designer Ben Burtt, the man behind R2-D2’s beep, lightsaber swoosh and Wall-E’s electronic warble, will be honored at this year’s Locarno Film Festival with the Vision Award Ticinomoda, a prize dedicated to creative minds whose work has broadened the horizons of cinema.

He is a 12-time Oscar winner and has received four Oscars for special achievement for his sound work on the original war of stars And Hunter of the Lost Bow and won trophies for sound effects and sound editing at ET the Extra-Terrestrial And Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade — Burtt created an astonishing number of sounds that, in the words of the Locarno Festival, “have since become etched in the minds of several generations of audiences and are still imitated in schoolyards around the world.”

His achievements include the raspy, iconic “ET phone home” – the scratchy voice of a chain smoker Burtt discovered in a cafe – Chewbacca’s screams (a combination of the howls of several animals, including a bear, a walrus and a lion) and Darth Vader’s heavy, mechanical breathing, which he created by blowing into a scuba regulator.

The talent seems to run in the family. Burtt’s son, Benjamin A. Burtt, received an Oscar nomination together with Steve Boeddeker for sound editing on Black Panther.

Burtt the Elder also worked as an editor on George Lucas’ war of stars Prequel trilogy and has made several documentaries, including “ Blue Planet And Fate in space in 1994). Catch sight ofhis non-linear film experience with cinema and space, is part of the permanent exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA.

“Ben Burtt is an important part of the war of stars mythology,” said Locarno Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro. “A young and precocious sound effects prodigy, he created a library of organic sounds to bring the universe of film sound to life; these creations became inextricably linked to the mythology of the Lucasian saga. The list of his innovations is virtually endless… Ben Burtt is a pioneer and visionary who fundamentally changed the way we perceive sound in cinema.”

Burtt will receive his award on Wednesday 14 August in the Piazza Grande in Locarno and will participate in a public Q&A session on Thursday 15 August at the Forum @Spazio Cinema.

The 77th Locarno Film Festival, which takes place from August 7 to 17, 2024, will also honor Oscar-winning director Jane Campion and indie production legend Stacey Sher (Erin Brockovich, Django Unchained) and the French-Swiss star Irène Jacob (Three colors: red).