# 79th Locarno Film Festival
The 79th Locarno Film Festival (Locarno79) was the 2026 edition of the Locarno Film Festival, held in Locarno, Switzerland, from 5 to 15 August 2026 under artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro. Its Golden Leopard, the top prize of the international competition, went to the Romanian film *[You Don't Belong Here](https://www.edgepedia.org/you-dont-belong-here-film)* (*Nu e locul tău aici*) by Florin Șerban.[1](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates and place | 5–15 August 2026, Locarno, Switzerland; 11 days[1](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno) |
| Program scale | 233 films scheduled; the official selection included 103 world premieres and 8 international premieres[2](https://www.cdt.ch/news/a-locarno79-verranno-proiettati-233-film-molti-sulle-sfide-del-presente-433508) • [3](https://spainaudiovisualhub.digital.gob.es/en/actualidad/5-15-agosto--locarno-film-festival) |
| Opening film | *Les yeux verts* by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Troulin (France, Belgium, Sweden 2026)[1](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno) |
| Golden Leopard | *You Don't Belong Here* (*Nu e locul tău aici*) by Florin Șerban (Romania)[1](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno) |
| Competition jury | Chaired by Belgian filmmaker Fabrice du Welz[4](https://www.afcinema.com/79e-edition-du-Festival-international-du-film-de-Locarno.html?debut_event=%401853&id_evenement=1853) |
| Retrospective | "Red & Black – Hollywood Left and the Blacklist," curated by Ehsan Khoshbakht, around 50 films[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html) |
| Next edition | The 80th festival is scheduled for 4–14 August 2027[6](https://lemagcinema.fr/festivals/locarno-fr/locarno2026/le-palmares-du-79ieme-festival-de-locarno/) |
## Announcement and program
The festival announced its official selection on 9 July 2026 in a live event from Luma Westbau in Zurich.[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYFBCiJCs2A) The full program, presented at a press conference in Zurich, comprised 233 films, many of them dealing with present-day challenges.[2](https://www.cdt.ch/news/a-locarno79-verranno-proiettati-233-film-molti-sulle-sfide-del-presente-433508) The official selection included 103 world premieres and 8 international premieres across the festival's three main competitions and non-competitive sections.[3](https://spainaudiovisualhub.digital.gob.es/en/actualidad/5-15-agosto--locarno-film-festival) The festival catalog listed information on the more than 200 films presented, including directors' notes, synopses, and production information.[8](https://shop.locarnofestival.ch/collections/books/products/official-locarno79-catalogue-programme)
**Competition lineup.** The 17 feature films vying for the Golden Leopard included new work by the South Korean director [Hong Sang-soo](https://www.edgepedia.org/hong-sang-soo) (*Nowhere to Lay My Eyes*, again with [Kim Min-hee](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-min-hee-actress-born-1982)), Ann Oren (*Objet a*), Basil da Cunha (*O Jacaré*), and Isabelle Stever (*I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming*), alongside [Monica Bellucci](https://www.edgepedia.org/monica-bellucci)'s acting turn in Giovanni Tortorici's *Ketticè*.[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html) The Cineasti del Presente section for first and second features included Mohanad Yaqubi's *Revolutionaries Never Die*, on the Lebanese filmmaker and war reporter Jocelyne Saab (1948–2019), and Béatrice Gibson's *La Nuit*.[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html) Albert Serra's documentary on Ingrid Caven, *Seize moments de ma vie* (*16 Moments of My Life*), screened in the Fuori Concorso section.[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html)
The retrospective "Red & Black – Hollywood Left and the Blacklist," curated by the Iranian filmmaker Ehsan Khoshbakht, revisited the Cold War Hollywood blacklist with around 50 films by directors including [Elia Kazan](https://www.edgepedia.org/elia-kazan), Joseph Losey, Luis Buñuel, Ida Lupino, and Elmer Clifton.[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html)
## Juries and honorees
The international competition jury was chaired by the Belgian filmmaker Fabrice du Welz; its members included the Italian producer Marco Alessi, the French actress Lolita Chammah, the Chilean actress Paulina García, and Olivier Père, general director of Arte France Cinéma.[4](https://www.afcinema.com/79e-edition-du-Festival-international-du-film-de-Locarno.html?debut_event=%401853&id_evenement=1853) The American filmmaker James Gray received the Pardo alla Carriera (career award), presented his new film *Paper Tiger*, and saw two of his earlier films, *We Own the Night* and *Two Lovers*, programmed at the edition.[4](https://www.afcinema.com/79e-edition-du-Festival-international-du-film-de-Locarno.html?debut_event=%401853&id_evenement=1853) [Isabella Rossellini](https://www.edgepedia.org/isabella-rossellini) received the festival's Excellence Award and was honored on opening night in the Piazza Grande; other guests honored for their careers included [Asia Argento](https://www.edgepedia.org/asia-argento) and [Virginie Efira](https://www.edgepedia.org/virginie-efira).[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html)
## Awards
The festival closed on Saturday 15 August 2026 with the awards ceremony.[6](https://lemagcinema.fr/festivals/locarno-fr/locarno2026/le-palmares-du-79ieme-festival-de-locarno/) The jury cited Șerban's winning film for the strength of its writing, the singularity of its vision, and its command of cinematic language; the drama centers on a widowed father and his teenage son, and marked Șerban's return to feature filmmaking after eight years.[6](https://lemagcinema.fr/festivals/locarno-fr/locarno2026/le-palmares-du-79ieme-festival-de-locarno/) • [9](https://www.srf.ch/news/79-filmfestival-locarno-goldener-leopard-fuer-rumaenischen-film-you-don-t-belong-here) The same film also took the youth jury prize, worth 6,000 Swiss francs, and the Europa Cinemas Label, which supports the winner's circulation in Europa Cinemas theaters.[10](https://srpske.rs/en/news/kultura/2026/08/16/golden-leopard-locarno-romanian-film-wins)
- **Pardo d'Oro (Golden Leopard)**: *You Don't Belong Here* (*Nu e locul tău aici*) by Florin Șerban (Romania)[1](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno)
- **Ecumenical Jury Prize** (10,000 CHF, donated by the [Catholic Church](https://www.edgepedia.org/catholic-church) and the Reformed Church in Switzerland): *Nowhere to Lay My Eyes* (*Nun Dul Dega Eomne*, South Korea) by Hong Sangsoo; the film also won Best Director and Best Leading Actress (Kim Minhee)[1](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno)
- **FIPRESCI (International Film Critics') Prize**: *Far From the Trees* (*Lejos de los árboles*, Spain, Peru, Italy)[1](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno)
- **Acting prize**: Monica Bellucci, for *[Ketticè](https://www.edgepedia.org/kettice)* by Giovanni Tortorici[11](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=1000218221.html)
- **Audience award (Prix du Public)**: *[Frank & Louis](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-and-louis)* by the Swiss director Petra Volpe[9](https://www.srf.ch/news/79-filmfestival-locarno-goldener-leopard-fuer-rumaenischen-film-you-don-t-belong-here)
Artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro described the closing edition as eleven days of intense cinematic experiences with packed, engaged theaters, and characterized the winners as films that break the mold.[12](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/494507/) The Ticino trade press read the palmarès as an edition that closed with an admiring look at Eastern European cinema, rewarding an established director's return while also honoring emerging filmmakers.[13](https://ticinowelcome.ch/en/private-events/cinema-and-theater/Locarno-Film-Festival-2026-Golden-Leopard-winners/)
## Context within the festival's history
Locarno's festival was founded in August 1946, a few months before the first Cannes festival, and the 2026 edition was its 79th.[14](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/locarno-the-smallest-of-the-big-festivals/2835714) The festival sits in mid-August, between the Cannes market in May and the autumn run of Venice, Toronto, and the American Film Market, a slot its programmers use to sell discovery rather than scale.[15](https://distributionintel.com/analysis/locarno-2026-79th-edition-opens/) Under Nazzaro the festival has aimed to blend popular cinema with daring works, and its selection often acts as a launchpad for filmmakers who then tour other festivals, even when the films lack distributors.[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html) The 78th edition in 2025, whose jury was chaired by Rithy Panh, had given the Golden Leopard to Sho Miyake's *Two Strangers, Two Seasons*.[5](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html) The 80th edition is scheduled for 4–14 August 2027.[6](https://lemagcinema.fr/festivals/locarno-fr/locarno2026/le-palmares-du-79ieme-festival-de-locarno/)
## References
1. [79th Film Festival Locarno, INTERFILM](https://www.inter-film.org/festivals/festival-del-film-locarno/79th-film-festival-locarno)
2. [A Locarno79 verranno proiettati 233 film, Corriere del Ticino](https://www.cdt.ch/news/a-locarno79-verranno-proiettati-233-film-molti-sulle-sfide-del-presente-433508)
3. [5–15 agosto: Locarno Film Festival, Spain Audiovisual Hub](https://spainaudiovisualhub.digital.gob.es/en/actualidad/5-15-agosto--locarno-film-festival)
4. [79e édition du Festival international du film de Locarno, AFC](https://www.afcinema.com/79e-edition-du-Festival-international-du-film-de-Locarno.html?debut_event=%401853&id_evenement=1853)
5. [At the 79th Locarno Film Festival, a parade of movie stars and fresh faces, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/08/05/at-the-79th-locarno-film-festival-a-parade-of-movie-stars-and-fresh-faces_6756183_30.html)
6. [Le palmarès du 79ième festival de Locarno, Le Mag Cinéma](https://lemagcinema.fr/festivals/locarno-fr/locarno2026/le-palmares-du-79ieme-festival-de-locarno/)
7. [2026 Official Selection Announcement, Locarno Film Festival (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYFBCiJCs2A)
8. [Official Locarno79 Catalogue & Programme, Locarno Film Festival shop](https://shop.locarnofestival.ch/collections/books/products/official-locarno79-catalogue-programme)
9. [79. Filmfestival Locarno – Goldener Leopard für rumänischen Film «You Don't Belong Here», SRF](https://www.srf.ch/news/79-filmfestival-locarno-goldener-leopard-fuer-rumaenischen-film-you-don-t-belong-here)
10. [Golden Leopard Goes to Romanian Film at Locarno Festival, Srpske Novine](https://srpske.rs/en/news/kultura/2026/08/16/golden-leopard-locarno-romanian-film-wins)
11. [Locarno 2026 : Monica Bellucci remporte le prix d'interprétation, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=1000218221.html)
12. [You Don't Belong Here scoops Locarno's Golden Leopard, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/494507/)
13. [At the Locarno Film Festival 2026, the Golden Leopard goes to Florin Șerban, Ticino Welcome](https://ticinowelcome.ch/en/private-events/cinema-and-theater/Locarno-Film-Festival-2026-Golden-Leopard-winners/)
14. [Locarno: the smallest of the big festivals, SWI swissinfo.ch](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/locarno-the-smallest-of-the-big-festivals/2835714)
15. [Locarno Opens Its 79th Edition, Distribution Intelligence](https://distributionintel.com/analysis/locarno-2026-79th-edition-opens/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Awards and screen reference › Major international film festivals and editions*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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