78th Locarno Film Festival

The 78th Locarno Film Festival took place from 6 to 16 August 2025, in Locarno, Switzerland. Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh served as the jury president for the main competition.

Japanese drama film Two Seasons, Two Strangers by Sho Miyake was the winner of the Golden Leopard, the festival's main prize. Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter's White Snail was the winner of the Special Jury Prize. American filmmaker Alexander Payne was honoured with Leopard of Honour (Pardo d’Onore) on 15 August.

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.

Tamara Stepanyan's drama film In the Land of Arto was the festival's opening film, while Bill Condon's Kiss of the Spider Woman was the festival's closing film.

Crowd during Piazza Grande section public screenings

Red Carpet

Rithy Panh Jury President for the Main Competition

• Rithy Panh, Cambodian filmmaker and author - Jury President

• Carlos Reygadas, Mexican filmmaker

• Joslyn Barnes, American film producer and writer

• Ursina Lardi, Swiss actress

• Renée Soutendijk, Dutch actress

• Asmara Abigail, Indonesian actress, dancer, and model

• La Frances Hui, Curator of Film at Museum of Modern Art and Co-chair of the festival New Directors/New Films

• Kani Kusruti, Indian actress

• Jihan El-Tahri, French-Egyptian filmmaker and producer

• Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Mosotho filmmaker and visual artist.

• Sara Serraiocco, Italian actress

• James Hawkinson, American cinematographer

• Judith Lou Lévy, French producer and writer

• Patricia Mazuy, French filmmaker

• Michael Almereyda, American filmmaker and film producer

• Martina Parenti, Italian filmmaker

• Seta Thakur, Swiss Head of Communications and Social Innovation, Wyss Academy for Nature

• Melanie Pollmeier, Switzerland

• Ileana Bîrsan, Romania

• Philippe Cabrol, France

• Roland Kauffmann, France

• Alonso Aguilar Candanedo, Costa Rica

• Alessandro Amato, Italy

• Savina Petkova, Bulgaria

• Sabrina Schwob, Switzerland

• Britt Sørensen, Norwegian author

• Yuliia Antypova, Ukraine

• Catherine Lemaire, Belgium

• Roxanne Sayegh, Canada

• Verena von Stackelberg, German film curator and programmer

• Stéphane Gobbo, Switzerland

• Mala Reinhardt, Germany

• Simonetta Sommaruga, Switzerland

• Cristina Trezzini, Jury President

• Nicola Bernasconi

• Frédéric Maire

• Antonio Mariotti

• Seraina Rohrer, Swiss audiovisual executive, academic, and innovation specialist for the creative industries.

On 8 July the festival announced its line-up for this edition. It will screen 221 films, including 99 world premieres. The selection committee for feature films was composed by Pamela Biénzobas, Stefan Ivančić, Giovanni Marchini-Camia and Daniela Persico, with Eddie Bertozzi serving as advisor for the competitive sections.

The following films were selected for the Piazza Grande section, these are eligible for Prix du public award:

The following films were selected for the Golden Leopard competition:

The Concorso Cineasti del Presente, also known as the Filmmakers of the Present Competition, showcases first and second feature films from emerging filmmakers.

The Concorso Corti d'Autore portion of the Leopard of Tomorrow competition features short films by established filmmakers.

The Concorso Internazionale portion of the Leopard of Tomorrow competition features short and medium-length films by emerging international directors.

The Concorso Nazionale portion of the Leopard of Tomorrow competition features short and medium-length films by emerging Swiss directors.

A tribute to British cinema from that period. More than 40 films screened in partnership with the BFI National Archive and the Cinémathèque suisse, with the support of StudioCanal and curated by Ehsan Khoshbakht.

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.

The Open Doors focused on 42 countries of the African continent.

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.

The independent Panorama Suisse section features highlights of contemporary Swiss cinema.

The Locarno Film Festival honors its heritage while embracing innovation, adapting to new audiences and trends. By involving young generations through dedicated training, the Festival strengthens its positive impact locally and globally.

The Locarno Residency supports emerging filmmakers developing their first feature film through a two-phase program. Ten selected participants join workshops and discussions during the Locarno Film Festival, after which three projects (two international, one Swiss) are chosen for a year-long mentorship, including online and in-person sessions in Venice and Arles.

• Carlo Cresto-Dina (Film producer, Italy)

• Jing XU (Sales manager, China)

• Stefan Ivančić (Film director, producer and programmer)

• Tizian Büchi (Swiss director and programmer)

• Anna Ciennik (Script consultant, France)

• Stefan Ivančić (Film director, producer and programmer)

The Locarno Academy is a professional training initiative by the Locarno Film Festival, created to develop the skills of young filmmakers, critics, and film industry professionals.

The Locarno Filmmakers Academy, a ten-day intensive program for emerging filmmakers.

The Locarno Critics Academy is a 10-day workshop that introduces young writers to film festivals, offering hands-on coverage and sessions with industry professionals.

• Prix du public: Rosemead by Eric Lin

• Golden Leopard: Two Seasons, Two Strangers by Sho Miyake

• Special Jury Prize: White Snail by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter

• Pardo for Best Direction: Abbas Fahdel for Tales of the Wounded Land

• Pardo for Best Performance:

  • Marya Imbro for White Snail
  • Mikhail Senkov for White Snail
  • Manuela Martelli for God Will Not Help
  • Ana Marija Veselčić for God Will Not Help

• Special Mention: Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze

• Golden Leopard – Filmmakers of the Present: Hair, Paper, Water... by Nicolas Graux and Minh Quý Trương

• Best Emerging Director Award: Cecilia Kang for Hijo Mayor

• Special Jury Prize CINÉ+: Sweetheart by Margherita Spampinato

• Pardo for Best Performance:

  • Aurora Quattrocchi for Sweetheart
  • Levan Gelbakhiani for Don't Let the Sun

• Pardino d’Oro WePresent by WeTransfer for the Best Auteur Short Film: A Very Straight Neck by Neo Sora

• Pardino d'Oro Arts3 Foundation for the Best International Short Film: Hyena by Altay Ulan Yang

• Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR for the Best Swiss Short Film: Rio Remains Beautiful by Felipe Casanova

• Pardino d'Argento Arts3 Foundation for the International Competition: Still Playing by Mohamed Mesbah

• Pardino d’Argento SRG SSR for the National Competition: Tusen Toner by Francesco Poloni

• Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering: Primera Enseñanza by Aria Sánchez and Marina Meira

• Best Swiss Newcomer Award: Camille Surdez for I-Iavant-Poste 21

• Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award: Force Times Displacement by Angel WU

• Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari

• Mare's Nest by Ben Rivers

• Special Mentions:

  • Hair, Paper, Water... by Nicolas Graux and Minh Quý Trương
  • A South-Facing Window by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir

• Solomamma by Janicke Askevold, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland

• Special Mention:

  • The Lake by Fabrice Aragno, Switzerland

• Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze

• With Hasan in Gaza by Kamal Aljafari, Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar

• Alexander Payne

• Lucy LiuEmma Thompson recipient of Leopard Club Award

• Emma Thompson

Jackie Chan, 2025 recipient of the Leopard Career Award

• Jackie Chan

• Abbout Productions, led by Georges Schoucair and Myriam Sassine

• Milena Canonero

• Marcel Barelli

• Michele Dell'Ambrogio

• Golshifteh Farahani

• Official website

• Locarno International Film Festival at IMDb