Locarno Film Festival 2026 Official Selection Announced

The official selection for the 79th Locarno Film Festival 2026 was announced today. The reveal came at a press conference in Zurich. The event will run from 5 to 15 August 2026. In total, the line-up features 233 films. Of these, 103 are world premieres, and eight are international premieres. Titles are split across three main competitions and several non-competitive sections. Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro leads the programme. He called it “an adventurous selection full of surprises that confronts the challenges of the present without ever giving up the pleasure of storytelling”. Moreover, he added, the edition “reflects the transformations underway in cinema and the audiovisual”.

The numbers behind the edition

The selection grew from a record 7,759 submissions. That marks a 21.75% rise over the 6,373 entries received in 2025. Of the 233 programmed titles, 151 are features, 81 are shorts, and 1 is a series. Eleven films are eligible for the Swatch First Feature Award, which honours debut features. Meanwhile, 19 titles compete for the Pardo for Change. This award goes to the best film that addresses environmental, ethical, or cultural questions of broad social relevance.

Piazza Grande, stars and the big screen

The Piazza Grande is the Festival’s popular heart. This year it opens on 5 August with Les Yeux Verts (The Green Eyes) by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, in world premiere. Among the anticipated titles is the Italian Armony by Dario Albertini, with Valerio Mastandrea, Asia Argento and Ornella Muti. There is also The Invite by Olivia Wilde, starring Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton. James Gray, meanwhile, brings Paper Tiger, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Swiss director Petra Volpe presents Frank & Louis. Finally, the closing night on 15 August goes to Ni vue, ni connue (All About Corinne) by Marc Fitoussi, with Isabelle Huppert and Diane Kruger. As every year, the section also revives classics. Wild at Heart by David Lynch, Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese and Dances with Wolves by Kevin Costner all return to the big screen.

The two main competitions

The Concorso Internazionale gathers auteur voices from around the world. Among them stands Nun dul dega eomne (Nowhere to Lay My Eyes) by South Korea’s Hong Sangsoo. There are also Ketticè by Giovanni Tortorici, with Monica Bellucci, and Alberi erranti (Wandering Trees) by Salvatore Mereu. Canada’s Denis Côté, in turn, brings Violence du corps de l’autre. The Concorso Cineasti del Presente focuses on research and emerging work. It brings together fifteen world premieres, from At Night by Beatrice Gibson to Revolutionaries Never Die by Mohanad Yaqubi. Alongside the competitions, several non-competitive sections round out the programme. These include Fuori Concorso, Histoire(s) du Cinéma, the Retrospective, the Pardi di Domani and the Locarno Kids Screenings.

The honorary awards

Locarno79 calls some highly recognisable film figures to the Piazza Grande stage. The Pardo d’Onore, presented by Manor, goes to US director Darren Aronofsky. The Excellence Award, in turn, honours actress and director Isabella Rossellini. Actress Virginie Efira receives the Leopard Club Award. The Vision Award, presented by Ticinomoda, goes to special make-up effects master Rick Baker. In addition, producer Sigurjón “Joni” Sighvatsson receives the Raimondo Rezzonico Award. Finally, the Life Achievement Award honours actress and director Asia Argento, who also appears in Death Has No Master.

A festival looking ahead

Overall, this edition confirms Locarno’s double role. On one side, it celebrates the great names of cinema. On the other, it makes room for new voices and future forms. The record number of submissions, finally, measures how much filmmakers trust the Festival. The appointment is set for 5 to 15 August 2026, when the Piazza Grande will light up once more.