The 79th Locarno Film Festival concluded with a look of admiration for Eastern European cinema: the jurors decided to reward the return to feature filmmaking by an already established director. The Golden Leopard, the Ticino film festival's main award , was awarded to You Don't Belong Here ( Nu e locul tau aici ) by Romanian director Florin Șerban.
The Golden Leopard in Florin Șerban
Florin Șerban's film won over the International Competition jury – as stated in the award's citations – for its writing, authorial approach, and cinematic construction. At the heart of You Don't Belong Here is a father-son relationship marked by conflict, through which the Romanian director also addresses social tensions and forms of intolerance.
For Șerban, this marks a return to feature film after a period of absence from the international film scene. The Festival's selection thus elevates to the top of the list a work that combines a family dimension with a reflection on contemporary society.
The result was interpreted by the artistic direction as an expression of a cinema capable of dealing with social and industrial transformations without renouncing formal research. Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Festival, defined the list of winners as "vital and contemporary", underlining the ability of the award-winning films to dialogue with different geographical and cultural realities.
Brazil and South Korea among the protagonists
Behind the winner was The Riverbank ( A Margem do Rio ), directed by Brazilians Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho and co-produced with Germany, which received the Special Jury Prize of the Municipalities of Ascona and Losone.
The film brings to the screen a story set in Brazil and is part of a selection that this year has given space to different geographical and narrative perspectives.
The award for best director went to South Korean Hong Sangsoo for Nowhere to Lay My Eyes ( Nun Dul Dega Eomne ), while Kim Minhee, the protagonist of the same film, received one of the two Leopards for best performance.
The other award in the category went to Monica Bellucci for Ketticè , directed by Giovanni Tortorici. For the Italian actress, this is one of the most important awards she's received in competition in her career, having won for an Italian film entered in the International Competition.
The list also awarded special mentions to Xavier Bergeron for Violence du corps de l'autre by Denis Côté and to Teodor Butănescu for You Don't Belong Here.
Filmmakers of the Present awards Alessandra Sanguinetti
Another significant result concerns the Filmmakers of the Present Competition. The Golden Leopard was awarded to The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer ( La ilusión de un verano sin fin ) by Alessandra Sanguinetti, an Argentine-American production.
The same work also won the Swatch First Feature Award, consolidating one of the most significant results of the entire palmarès.
The award for Best New Director went to Beatrice Gibson for At Night , while the CINÉ+OCS Special Jury Prize was awarded to Revolutionaries Never Die by Mohanad Yaqubi.
Awards for acting went to Idrissu Tontie Jr. for Ego Reach We All by Amartei Armar and Manal Issa for L'Estive by Naël Khleifi and Lisa Debauche. Special mentions went to Los Días Libres by Lucila Mariani and Hanabi by Ana Vaz.
Short films and new authors
The short film sector confirmed its strong focus on research and the discovery of new talent in 2026 as well.
In the Short Film Competition, the WePresent by WeTransfer Golden Leopard was awarded to The Bovine Comedy by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, while Et si Thuy n'existait pas by Carlo Francisco Manatad received a special mention.
In the Pardi di Domani International Competition, the Pardino d'Oro Arts3 Foundation Award went to Melk by Filip Anthonissen. The same short film was chosen as the Locarno Film Festival's entry for the European Film Awards.
The Silver Leopard was awarded to Mahmoud Assi's Khufu , while the WeShort Award for Best Director went to Marco Cavazzin for Mutrion . Finally, a special mention was given to Camille Zéhenne's Las Damas .
Swiss cinema awards
The National Competition awarded Domenico Singha Pedroli's Typhoon Mambo the Pardino d'Oro SRG SSR for Best Swiss Short Film. The Pardino d'Argento went to Patricia Strübin's Alles Gute .
The Swiss Best Newcomer award went to Charlyne Genoud for Respirer une fois sur trois.
These results confirm the importance of the Pardi di Domani as a space dedicated to emerging production, with particular attention to Swiss cinema and the careers of authors destined for greater international visibility.
A look also at the younger audience
The competition wasn't limited to the main sections. Younger audiences also found their own recognition through Locarno Kids Screenings.
The Locarno Kids Award la Mobiliare was awarded to Paradeisa by Marleen Valien, a German production.
In the 2026 edition, the Festival has therefore maintained a structure capable of bringing together auteur cinema, debut works, short films, Swiss productions, and offerings aimed at new generations.
Pardo for Change: Between Cinema and Social Responsibility
The list of winners also includes the Leopard for Change award, given to Ego Reach We All (Our Time Will Come) by Amartei Armar, a Ghanaian, French and Saudi Arabian production.
Special mentions went to Los Nuevos by Rodrigo Plá and Private Property by Deepak Rauniyar.
The award is part of the Festival's growing focus on works capable of addressing social issues and contemporary transformations through cinematic language.
A 79th edition built on internationality
The 2026 edition was announced with a selection of 233 films from 69 countries, including 103 world premieres. These numbers reflect the international reach of the event and the diversity of its cinematic offering.
During the eleven days of the Festival, audiences enjoyed screenings in Piazza Grande and other city theaters, while the Rotonda by la Mobiliare combined the film program with a calendar of music, meetings, and activities open to the city.
The 79th edition thus reflects a Festival in which the main award went to a Romanian author, while Brazil, South Korea, Argentina, the United States, Italy, and numerous other countries found space in the various competitive categories.
The next appointment will be in 2027
With the announcement of the winners, the 2026 chapter officially closes. The next event will be the 80th edition of the Locarno Film Festival , scheduled for 4 to 14 August 2027.
The Golden Leopard awarded to You Don't Belong Here thus gives Romania the main recognition of the Locarno Film Festival 2026 and closes an edition characterized by the presence of diverse cinematographies and a list of winners distributed among established authors, emerging directors and new productions.
