79th Locarno Film Festival with a bold selection, but this time without Slovenian participation

The 79th International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland, has opened with a bold selection of 17 films competing for the prestigious Golden Leopard award. The festival, which runs until August 15, will culminate in the official awards ceremony, during which the Golden Leopard and other honors will be presented. Notably, this year’s edition marks the absence of Slovenian participation, according to reports from the Slovenian Film Center. The festival, held on Lake Maggiore, features a diverse lineup of cinematic works, including shorts, feature-length films, documentaries, and experimental pieces. This year, nearly 8,000 films were submitted, making it one of the largest entries in the festival’s history. The main competition, known as the Concorso Internazionale, includes 17 films vying for the top prize. Among these are several international co-productions, with a third of them originating from Germany or being German-German co-productions. One of the standout entries is the German drama Objet A directed by Anne Oren. Another notable entry is the Ukrainian-German film I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming, directed by Isabelle Stever. The Singapore-Taiwan-German-Indonesian co-production The House on the Moon, directed by Nelson Yeo, and the Brazilian-German co-production A Margem do Rio (The Riverbank), directed by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho, are also among the contenders. Other films in the running include the Italian fantasy Alberi Erranti (Wandering Trees) by Salvatore Mereu, the Danish-Swedish-Greek romantic film Brave New Love by Marie Bäck, the Spanish film Lejos de los Árboles (Far From the Trees) by Meritxell Colell Aparicio, the Canadian film Manhunt by Wayne Wapeemukwa, and the Canadian Violence du Corps de l’Autre (Nobody’s Violence). Additional entries include the South Korean drama Nun Dul Dega Eomne (Nowhere to Lay My Eyes) by Hong Sang-soo, the French film D’ici Là by Sarah León, the Indian film Rehmat by Gurvinder Singh, the Chilean-French co-production Princessa Burro by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña, the Vietnamese film Thính Giác (Hearing) by Lê Bảo, and the Romanian film Nu e locul tau aici (You Don’t Belong Here) by Florina Șerbana. The Golden Leopard, awarded jointly by the festival and the city of Locarno, carries a prize of 75,000 Swiss francs, approximately 80,500 euros, shared equally between the director and producer. An additional special jury prize of 30,000 Swiss francs will be given, along with two awards for best direction, each worth 20,000 Swiss francs, and two awards for best acting performances. This year’s jury for the main competition is chaired by Belgian filmmaker and screenwriter Fabrice Du Welz, with members Marco Alessi, Lolita Chammah, Paulina García, and Olivier Pere. The festival continues its tradition of celebrating artistic ambition and thought-provoking cinema, remaining true to its long-standing motto that stars are the films themselves rather than the actors. Throughout the festival, audiences can enjoy evening screenings on the historic town square, offering a unique opportunity to experience films outside the competitive program. The event remains a key platform for global filmmakers seeking recognition and exposure within the international film community.