A Passionate Celebration of the Power of Cinema: This Was Locarno78

This year’s edition presented 224 films across 11 sections, including the Concorso Internazionale, Concorso Cineasti del Presente, Pardi di Domani, and Piazza Grande, the beating heart of the Festival. Locarno78 featured 101 world premieres from emerging talents and established auteurs alike, offering a rich program that reflected the complexity, contradictions, and dreams of our contemporary world, capped by the victory of Japanese filmmaker Sho Miyake, who took home the prestigious Pardo d’Oro (Golden Leopard) for his film Two Seasons, Two Strangers. The Lucy Liu-starring Rosemead, an American independent drama having its international premiere in Locarno, took home the Prix du Public UBS.

The complete list of Palmarès of the 78th Locarno Film Festival is available here.

Locarno78 built on the success of the past two editions, deepening and expanding its renewal of key aspects of the Festival’s organization. Audiences flocked to Locarno in vast numbers, confirming that the desire to see films communally remains a powerful factor in social cohesion. The total audience at film screenings during the Festival was 154,233 (+1%), while in Piazza Grande it was 63,085 (+2%). People buying festival passes increased by +10%, while professional accreditations – including people joining from online – increased by 1.24% – totaling 5,002, of whom 1,940 were industry professionals (+3%) and 894 were journalists, critics, and photographers (+13%).

Beyond its official selection, the Festival’s wide-ranging initiatives continued to nurture the kind of emerging talent who will imagine the future of cinema. These included programs dedicated to children (Locarno Kids la Mobiliare), teenagers (Atelier du Futur), as well as filmmakers, artists, critics, and professionals through the Locarno Academy, REAL Academy, and BaseCamp. Meanwhile, the Rotonda by la Mobiliare offered an energetic space for entertainment, food, fun, and dialogue in the vicinity of the Piazza Grande, attracting 95'860 participants (-7% compared to the previous year).

Maja Hoffmann, President: “Locarno78 has once again celebrated cinema in its most daring and visionary forms. Each award we present is more than a prize: it is a statement of values, affirming that vision matters more than convention, that craft is as vital as commerce, and that truth remains the essence of filmmaking. I am deeply proud of our team and grateful to the juries, the filmmakers, and everyone who makes the work of cinema possible. For 78 years, Locarno has been a home for independent voices and bold ideas – and it will continue to be a place where cinema dares to experiment, surprises us, and remind us that it has the power to change the way we see.”

Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director: “An edition marked by the pleasure of cinema, with an increase in audience numbers in theaters and exceptional guests welcomed to the Piazza Grande with extraordinary affection and emotion. A competition rich in narrative, formal, and poetic proposals that was applauded by the international and national press, with titles already invited to numerous other festivals. Locarno78 was an exciting edition that fills us with gratitude and joy, allowing us to look to the future with confidence.”

Raphaël Brunschwig, CEO: “As we look back on Locarno78, I am profoundly grateful to all who make this Festival what it is: our staff, our partners, the press, the dedicated professionals from all sectors of the global industry, the diplomats and business representatives who joined us for Diplomacy Day, our dedicated suppliers, and - above all - our loyal audience, whose energy breathes new life into Piazza Grande and the cinemas each and every year. The Locarno Film Festival is not just an event, but a space where dialogue flourishes and creativity is fuelled by the commitment and love of our community. Together, we shape not just the future of our Festival, but also reaffirm the transformative power of culture and its ability to remind us of the importance of dialogue and critical thought.”

The 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will take place from 5-15 August 2026.