78th Locarno Film Festival
Festival poster | |
| Opening film | In the Land of Arto by Tamara Stepanyan |
|---|---|
| Closing film | Kiss of the Spider Woman by Bill Condon |
| Location | Locarno, Switzerland |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Awards | |
| Hosted by | Associazione Festival del film Locarno |
| Artistic director | Giona A. Nazzaro |
| No. of films | 221 |
| Festival date | Opening: 6 August 2025 Closing: 16 August 2025 |
| Website | 78 Locarno Film Festival |
The 78th Locarno Film Festival will be held from 6 August to 16 August 2025 in Locarno, Switzerland. Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh will serve as the jury president for the main competition.[1]
The festival poster was designed by the German artist Wolfgang Tillmans. The poster features the festival’s iconic leopard resting on a tree branch, surrounded by a vivid mix of yellow and purple abstract patterns. Artistic director, Giona A. Nazzaro, noted that Tillmans' artwork portrays a vision of a world where people can coexist and collaborate.[2]
American filmmaker Alexander Payne will be honoured with Leopard of Honour (Pardo d’Onore) on 15 August.[3][4]
Juries
Concorso Internazionale - Main Competition
- Rithy Panh, a Cambodian documentary film director, author and screenwriter. (Jury President)[5]
The Premio Cinema Ticino Jury
- Cristina Trezzini, President
- Nicola Bernasconi
- Frédéric Maire
- Antonio Mariotti
- Seraina Rohrer
Official sections
On 8 July the festival announced its line-up for this edition. It will screen 221 films, including 99 world premieres.[6][7][8]
Piazza Grande
The following films were selected for the Piazza Grande section:
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Birthday Party | Miguel Ángel Jiménez | Greece, Spain, Netherlands, United Kingdom | |
| The Dead of Winter | Brian Kirk | United States, Germany | |
| The Deal | Jean-Stéphane Bron | Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium | |
| Heads or Tails? | Testa O Croce? | Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis | Italy, United States |
| In the Land of Arto (opening film) | Le Pays D’arto | Tamara Stepanyan | France, Armenia |
| Irkala – Gilgamesh’s Dream | Irkalla Hulm Jijiljamish | Mohamed Al-Daradji | Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, France, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia |
| It Was Just an Accident | Un Simple Accident | Jafar Panahi | Iran, France, Luxembourg |
| Kiss of the Spider Woman (closing film) | Bill Condon | United States, Uruguay | |
| The Little Sister | La Petite Dernière | Hafsia Herzi | France, Germany |
| Police Story (1985) | 警察故事 | Jackie Chan | Hong Kong |
| Rosemead | Eric Lin | United States | |
| Sentimental Value | Affeksjonsverdi | Joachim Trier | Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden |
| The Shining (1980) | Stanley Kubrick | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Together | Michael Shanks | Australia, United States | |
Main Competition (Concorso Internazionale)
The following films were selected for the Golden Leopard competition:
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desire Lines | Linije Želje | Dane Komljen | Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Netherlands, Croatia, Germany |
| Donkey Days | Rosanne Pel | Netherlands, Germany | |
| Dracula | Radu Jude | Romania, Austria, Luxembourg | |
| Dry Leaf | Alexandre Koberidze | Germany, Georgia | |
| God Will Not Help | Bog Neće Pomoći | Hana Jušić | Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia |
| Le Lac | Fabrice Aragno | Switzerland | |
| Mare's Nest | Ben Rivers | United Kingdom, France, Canada | |
| Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due | Abdellatif Kechiche | France | |
| Mosquitoes | Le Bambine | Valentina Bertani and Nicole Bertani | Italy, Switzerland, France |
| Phantoms of July | Sehnsucht in Sangerhausen | Julian Radlmaier | Germany |
| The Seasons | As Estações | Maureen Fazendeiro | Portugal, France, Spain, Austria |
| Solomamma | Janicke Askevold | Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland | |
| Sorella Di Clausura | Ivana Mladenović | Romania, Serbia, Italy, Spain | |
| Two Seasons, Two Strangers | 旅と日々 | Sho Miyake | Japan |
| Tales of the Wounded Land | Abbas Fahdel | Lebanon | |
| White Snail | Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter | Austria, Germany | |
| With Hasan in Gaza | Kamal Aljafari | Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar | |
Filmmakers of the Present Competition (Concorso Cineasti del Presente)
The Concorso Cineasti del Presente, also known as the Filmmakers of the Present Competition, showcases first and second feature films from emerging filmmakers.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affection Affection | Alexia Walther, Maxime Matray | France | |
| A Balcony in Limoges | Un balcon à Limoges | Jérôme Reybaud | France |
| Balearic | Ion de Sosa | Spain, France | |
| Becoming | Zhannat Alshanova | France, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Lithuania | |
| Blue Heron | Sophy Romvari | Canada, Hungary | |
| Don't Let Me Die | Nu mă lăsa să mor | Andrei Epure | Romania, Bulgaria, France |
| Don't Let the Sun | Jacqueline Zünd | Switzerland, Italy | |
| Fantasy | Kukla Kesherovic | Slovenia, North Macedonia | |
| The Fin | Park Syeyoung | South Korea, Germany, Qatar | |
| Follies | Folichonneries | Éric K. Boulianne | Canada |
| Hair, Paper, Water | Tóc, Giấy và Nước | Nicolas Graux, Trương Minh Quý | Belgium, France, Vietnam |
| Hijo Mayor | Cecilia Kang | Argentina, France | |
| Olivia | Sofía Petersen | Argentina, United Kingdom, Spain | |
| The Plant from the Canaries | Ruan Lan-Xi | Germany | |
| Sweetheart | Gioia mia | Margherita Spampinato | Italy |
Leopard of Tomorrow (Pardi di Domani)
The following films were selected for the Pardi di Domani section:[9][10]
Concorso Corti d'Autore
The Concorso Corti d'Autore portion of the Pardi di Domani competition features short films by established filmmakers.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Streets | Abdellah Taïa | France | |
| Hysterical Fit oF Laughter | Histeriöni Napad Smeha | Dušan Zorić, Matija Gluščević | Serbia, Croatia |
| Index | Radu Muntean | Romania | |
| Late Harvest | Späternte | Katharina Huber | Germany |
| The Sleeping Beauty | Nang Norn | Mattie Do | United States, Laos, Thailand |
| Slet 1988 | Marta Popivoda | Germany, France, Serbia | |
| Solitudes | Ryan McKenna | Canada | |
| The Dog Is My Dog | Su Cane Est Su Miu | Salvatore Mereu | Italy |
| A South-Facing Window | Une fenetre pi-ein sud | Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir | France, Mongolia |
| A Very Straight Neck | Neo Sora | Japan, China | |
Concorso Internazionale
The Concorso Internazionale portion of the Pardi di Domani competition features short and medium-length films by emerging international directors.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baisanos | Andrés Khamis Giacoman, Francisca Khamis Giacoman | Chile, Spain, Palestine | |
| Bleifrei 95 | Unleaded 95 | Emma Hütt, Tina Emy Muffler | Austria, Germany |
| Blind, Into the Eye | Atefeh Kheirabadi, Mehrad Sepahnia | Germany, Iran | |
| BOA | Alexandre Dostie | Canada, France | |
| What We Leave Behind | Ce qu'on laisse derrière | Alexandra Myotte, Jean-Sébastien Hamel | Canada |
| The Uniformed | Timon Ott | Germany | |
| Eldorado | Anton Bialas | France | |
| Force Times Displacement | Angel WU | Taiwan | |
| Honey, My Love, So Sweet | JT Trinidad | Philippines | |
| Hyena | Altay Ulan Yang | United States | |
| Happily Ever After | Elodie Beaumont Tarillon | France | |
Concorso Nazionale
The Concorso Nazionale portion of the Pardi di Domani competition features short and medium-length films by emerging Swiss directors.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Horse One | Lasse Linder | Switzerland, Belgium | |
| Ich Bin Nicht Sicher | I'm Not Sure | Luisa Zürcher | Switzerland |
| I-Iavant-Poste 21 | Camille Surdez | Switzerland | |
| Les Dieux | The Gods | Anas Sareen | Switzerland |
| Lost Touch | Justine Klaiber | Switzerland | |
| Nest | Stefania Burla | Switzerland | |
| Noirs Matins | Black Mornings | David Gonseth | Switzerland |
| O Rio De Janeiro Continua I-Indo | Rio Remains Beautiful | Felipe Casanova | Belgium, Brazil, Switzerland |
| Tusen Toner | Francesco Poloni | Switzerland | |
| Yonne | Julietta Korbel, Yan Ciszewski | Switzerland, France | |
Out of Competition (Fuori Concorso)
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobo | Pippo Delbono | Italy | |
| Le Chantier | Jean-Stéphane Bron | France, Switzerland | |
| The Deal | Jean-Stéphane Bron | Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium | |
| Deathstalker | Steven Kostanski | United States, Canada | |
| E | Anna Eriksson | Finland | |
| Exile | إغتراب | Mehdi Hmili | Tunisia, Luxembourg, France, Qatar, Saudi ARabia |
| I Live Here Now | Julie Pacino | United States | |
| Judas' Gospel | Il Vangelo di Giuda | Giulio Base | Italy, Poland |
| Keep Quiet | Vincent Grashaw | United States | |
| Kerouac's Road: The Beat of a Nation | Ebs Burnough | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Legend of the Happy Worker | Duwayne Dunham | United States | |
| Nova '78 | Aaron Brookner, Rodrigo Areias | United Kingdom, Portugal | |
| Silence (TV series) | Silencio | Eduardo Casanova | Spain |
| Some Notes on the Current Situation | Eran Kolirin | Israel | |
Retrospettiva
Great Expectations: British Postwar Cinema 1945-1960, "a tribute" to British cinema from that period promising to be "painting a rich and diverse picture of life in the postwar years as reflected in British popular cinema," said curator Ehsan Khoshbakht. It will showcase more than 40 films produced in partnership with the BFI National Archive and the Cinémathèque suisse, with the support of StudioCanal and curated by Ehsan Khoshbakht.[11]
Histoire(s) du Cinéma
The restored version of Roberto Rossellini's classic film Anno uno (Year One, 1974), will be screened in the festival as part of this section.[12]
| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leopard Club Award to Emma Thompson | ||||
| 1995 | Sense And Sensibility | Ang Lee | United States | |
| Premio Raimondo Rezzonico award to Abbout Productions | ||||
| 2021 | Costa Brava, Lebanon | Mounia Akl | Lebanon, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Qatar | |
| 2021 | Memory Box | Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige | Lebanon, Canada, France, Qatar | |
| Pardo alla carriera (Leopard Career Award) to Jackie Chan | ||||
| 1983 | Project A | Jackie Chan | Hong Kong | |
| Leopard of Honour (Pardo d’Onore Manor) to Alexander Payne | ||||
| 2013 | Nebraska | Alexander Payne | United States | |
| 2011 | The Descendants | Alexander Payne | United States | |
| Vision Award Ticinomoda to Milena Canonero | ||||
| 2024 | Megalopolis | Francis Ford Coppola | United States | |
| Premio Cinema Ticino award to Michele Dell'Ambrogio | ||||
| 1934 | L'Atalante | Jean Vigo | France | |
| Cinéma Suisse Redécouvert | ||||
| 1973 | Bad Manners | Les vilaines manières | Simon Edelstein | Switzerland, France |
| 1986 | L'Ogre | Simon Edelstein | Switzerland, France | |
| Locarno Heritage | ||||
| 1974 | Anno uno | Roberto Rossellini | Italy | |
| 1969 | The Year of the Cannibals | I Cannibali | Liliana Cavani | Italy |
| Histoire(s) du Cinéma | ||||
| 2004 | 4 (FOUR) | Ilya Khrzhanovsky | Russia, Netherlands | |
| 1971 | A Bay of Blood | Reazione a catena | Mario Bava | Italy |
| 2007 | Silent Light | Stellet Licht | Carlos Reygadas | Mexico, France, Netherlands, Germany |
Open Doors Screenings
The Open Doors focused on 42 countries of the African continent.[13]
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancestral Visions of the Future | Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese | France, Lesotho, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar | |
| Bougainvillea | Yasir Faiz | Egypt, Sudan | |
| Jangu | Patience Nitumwesiga | Uganda | |
| God'S Dream | Fousseyni Maïga, Mariam Kamissoko | Mali | |
| Nome | Sana Na N'Hada | Guinea-Bissau, France, Portugal, Angola | |
| Omi Nobi (The New Man) | Carlos Yuri Ceuninck | Cape Verde, Belgium, Germany, Sudan | |
| The Bride | Myriam Birara | Rwanda | |
| So Long a Letter | Angèle Diabang | Senegal, Mali, France, Ivory Coast, Egypt | |
| VUTA N'KUVUTE (Tug of War) | Amil Shivji | Tanzania, South Africa, Germany, Qatar | |
| When Nigeria Happens | Ema Edosio Share | Nigeria | |
| The Last Journey | Abdoulaye Sall | Mauritania, Senegal | |
| The Envoy of God | Amina Abdoulaye Mamani | Niger, Burkina Faso, Rwanda | |
| Where My Memory Began | Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda | Sierra Leone | |
Locarno Kids
The following films will be screened in this section. The opening film of the section is Arco, a French animated feature about the fate of a world impacted by the climate change.[14]
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arco (Opening Film) |
Ugo Bienvenu | United States, France | |
| Fantastique | Marjolijn Prins | Belgium | |
| The Badgers (Closing Film) |
Grevlingene | Paul M. Lundø | Norway |
| I Won't Leave You Alone | Non ti lascio solo | Fabrizio Cattani | Italy |
| Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake | L’Olívia i el terratrèmol invisible | Irene Iborra Rizo | Spain |
| Pixie. The New Beginning | Skrzat. Nowy początek | Krzysztof Komander | Poland, Czech Republic |
| Secret Delivery | Tichá pošta | Ján Sebechlebský | Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia |
Independent sections
International Critics' Week (Semaine de la Critique)
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Scents - of Plants and People | Antshi von Moos | Switzerland | |
| Green Light | Grünes Licht | Pavel Cuzuioc | Austria, Romania |
Swiss Panorama (Panorama Suisse)
The independent Panorama Suisse section features highlights of contemporary Swiss cinema.[15]
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:10 | Sinan Taner | Switzerland | |
| Bagger Drama | Piet Baumgartner | Switzerland | |
| Pictures In The Head | Eleonora Camizzi | Switzerland | |
| Frieda's Fall | Maria Brendle | Switzerland | |
| Late Shift | Heldin | Petra Volpe | Switzerland, Germany |
| The Boy From The Drina | Zijad Ibrahimovic | Switzerland | |
| Immortals | Maja Tschumi | Switzerland, Iraq | |
| The Courageous | Les Courageux | Jasmin Gordon | Switzerland |
| Quir | Nicola Bellucci | Switzerland | |
| The Safe House | La cache | Lionel Baier | Switzerland, Luxembourg, France |
| Wisdom Of Happiness | Barbara Miller, Philip Delaquis | Switzerland | |
| Who Goes Hunting | Lea Favre | Switzerland | |
Special awards
Leopard of Honour (Pardo d’Onore Manor)
- Alexander Payne, Greek-American film director, screenwriter and producer.[3]
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Lucy Liu, American actress, producer, and artist. Widely regarded as a trailblazer for Asian American representation in Hollywood.[16][17]
Leopard Club Award
- Emma Thompson, British actress and screenwriter.[18]
Pardo alla carriera (Leopard Career Award)
- Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist, actor and filmmaker.[19][20]
Premio Raimondo Rezzonico
- Abbout Productions, led by Georges Schoucair and Myriam Sassine[21][22]
Vision Award Ticinomoda
- Milena Canonero, Italian costume designer.[23]
Locarno Kids Award la Mobiliare
Swiss-born director and designer Marcel Barelli will be honoured with Locarno Kids Award.
- Marcel Barelli[14]
Premio Cinema Ticino Award
References
- ^ Georg Szalai (15 May 2025). "Locarno Film Festival Names Rithy Panh Jury President". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (26 March 2025). "Locarno's Wolfgang Tillmans Poster Offers "Image of a World in Which We Can All Live, Work Together"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ a b Leo Barraclough (11 June 2025). "Alexander Payne to Be Honored at Locarno Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Tim Dams (11 June 2025). "Alexander Payne to be honoured by Locarno Film Festival". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (15 May 2025). "Rithy Panh To Serve As Locarno Jury President". Deadline. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Marta Balaga (8 July 2025). "Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche Head to Locarno as Swiss Fest Announces Lineup, An 'Ambitious and Exciting Edition'". Variety. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Mona Tabbara (8 July 2025). "Locarno unveils 2025 line-up including premieres of Radu Jude's 'Dracula', Kamal Aljafari's 'With Hasan In Gaza'". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (8 July 2025). "'Dracula' by Radu Jude, David Lynch-Exec Produced 'Happy Worker' Set for Locarno Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ "Locarno Film Festival Announces Pardi di Domani 2025 Selection". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (1 July 2025). "Locarno Unveils Lineup for Pardi di Domani Section, Its "Breeding Ground for Experimentation"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (10 March 2025). ""Great Expectations": British Postwar Cinema Gets Spotlight With Locarno Film Festival Retrospective". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ "Locarno Pro and Cinegrell Restore Rossellini's Anno uno". Locarno Film Festival. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Open Doors Screenings". Locarno Film Festival. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ a b Szalai, Georg (2 July 2025). "Marcel Barelli to Get Locarno Kids Award, Annecy Winner 'Arco' to Screen at Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "Panorama Suisse". Locarno Film Festival. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ Nick Vivarelli (10 June 2025). "Lucy Liu to Receive Career Award at Locarno Where She Will Launch International 'Rosemead' Premiere". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Lucy Liu to Receive Career Achievement Award and present international premiere of Rosemead at Locarno78". Locarno Film Festival. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (3 June 2025). "Emma Thompson Set for Locarno Fest Leopard Club Award, 'The Dead of Winter' World Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (28 April 2025). "Jackie Chan to Receive Locarno Film Festival Lifetime Honor". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Michael Rosser (29 April 2025). "Jackie Chan to receive Pardo Alla Carriera honour at Locarno Film Festival". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Tim Dams (17 June 2025). "Lebanon's Abbout Productions to be honoured at Locarno Film Festival". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ Georg Szalai (16 June 2025). "Locarno Film Festival: Lebanon's Abbout Productions to Receive Producing Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (25 June 2025). "'The Shining,' 'A Clockwork Orange,' 'Megalopolis' Costume Designer to Receive Locarno Vision Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Film FestivalA Michele Dell'Ambrogio il Premio Cinema Ticino di Locarno78" [Film FestivalMichele Dell'Ambrogio wins the Ticino Cinema Award at Locarno 78.]. Courier Del Ticino (in Italian). 8 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ "A Michele Dell'Ambrogio il Premio Cinema Ticino di Locarno78". Locarno Film Festival. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.